Insomnia
by Zombie Slayer L
Summary: AxS  Sleep eludes the Police Girl, her past now plaguing her dreams, and neither of her Masters are happy about it.  What better way to restore her peace than a mission out of the country?  Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Alright! I realized I'd made a teeeeensy little mistake and I wished to edit it, so this is the same chapter but with a few edits. Again, this is the first fic I've written in quite some time, and I hope that this pleases some fans out there. And, of course, I still do not own Hellsing._

With a gasp and a startled, strangled cry, Seras Victoria shot up in her bed, promptly slamming her forehead into the lid of her coffin. Hissing in pain, the vampress rubbed at her head, vaguely thankful that her undead prowess would at least keep her pale skin from forming a giant bruise. Having thus reached a solid state of consciousness, she groped for the button that rose the disturbing contraption she took residence in and awaited the soft glow of her lamp in jittery silence. Once the mechanism stopped, Seras swung her legs around in a display of supernatural speed that the vampress was not aware of, feet now dangling a couple inches from the stone floor. For several moments, the young vampire could do nothing more than shake, elbows resting against her thighs, head buried in her upturned hands. Dry sobs and gasps escaped her slightly parted lips, neither any louder than a soft whisper. Her sobs were dry, cheeks clear of tears, her body too dried and denied of blood to produce any external fluids.

Her sudden hysterical episode lasted mere moments, ending nearly as soon as it had begun. With a solid, albeit slow, breath the vampress stood from the bed, all previous shaking left behind as she did so. Having left the electronically heated bed, Seras was cold. Her simple black nightie, reaching just past mid-thigh, and her bare feet did little to help the ever-present cold that seemed to soak into her very bones. Having already decided that sleep was not to be reclaimed, Seras sighed and donned her robe (a simple thing; bright pink with purple flowers speckled across the unbelievably soft fabric; a gift from Walter on her last birthday) and matching slippers, slipping her bag of toiletries beneath her arm. She did not need to glance at the clock ticking away on the wall just across from her to know that it was around three PM and, wearing only her ridiculous robe, she ventured out into the hallway rubbing her crimson eyes as though to rid herself from the last clinging tendrils of sleep.

A yawn tore her jaws apart, forcing her eyes closed as she swayed her way through the silent stone corridor. The bathroom was down the hall and to the right; strangely enough, this was the exact location of the bathroom in her apartment. Even now, trudging silently down the hall, she still managed to find the strength to be amazed with the time that she had awoken. Ever since she had accepted blood (not that she was drinking it now…) she had gained the ability to wake at noon, if she so needed, though her body still shut down when the sun arose. She was fairly sure this was Alucard's doing; she'd seen him once having tea with Sir Integra, so she found it difficult to believe that he couldn't control the time he awoke. Almost absently she wondered if he even slept at all… If he didn't, she envied him beyond any feasible measure.

Shuffling her way into the bathroom just down the hall, Seras closed the door behind her neglecting the lock (what did a vampire have left to fear?) as she tossed her bag into the sink and set about taking a shower. When all else failed and the icy draft of the mansion became too much, a shower was the closest she could get to warming herself back up, a usually tedious and frustrating task, as her body refused to hold in any sort of heat. Her Master had once told her that in order to truly embrace her darker self she would need to embrace the cold as well. She'd told her Master he could "embrace" her ass, which he had promptly done before disappearing into the shadows, a suggestive chuckle rolling through her mind. With a roll of her eyes she turned the nozzle of the shower stall, taking the moment to appreciate the sheer size of the stall.

To say the shower was…roomy would perhaps be an understatement. With enough room in it for two people to shower at the same time without even brushing elbows, the 'shower' was the largest she had ever seen.. As though to emphasis the multiple person capacity, there were two showerheads, one on either side, and two benches set a little ways from the showerheads which, she had noticed the last time she had used this shower, could be removed and used away from the wall. A switch beside the shower wall controlled the light above the shower, and with a gentle flick of her wrist the light was dimmed, leaving the shower cozy, dark and warm. The perfect calming solution to the already tensed and strained vampire. She had asked, upon taking up residence in the Hellsing Manor, why it was that her Master required such a large bathroom for only himself and was rewarded with a mischievous grin and chuckle in response. Seras thought it best not to dwell on such things.

As she stood just outside the stall, hand in the steady stream of water as she waited for it to hit the hotter temperatures, she decided to try using the showerhead in tandem with the bench, curious as to whether or not it would be awkward. A simple thought to keep her whirling thoughts under control, to push memories to some far corner where nothing could reach them. She had been through this before. However…things were different now. She was different.

A sigh and a headshake later, Seras had disrobed and entered the scalding shower, jumping slightly as the burning water touched her frozen skin. Moments later she had sunk against the cool tile walls, nearly purring with pleasure as her icy skin was assaulted by the scalding water loosened the knots at her shoulders and began the arduous task of raising her temperature. Regardless of Alucard's reason, the young vampress had quickly come to adore the large bathroom and had been more than excited to find the immense claw-footed tub located just beyond the shower. However, a bath was currently out of the question. Her mobility would be inexcusably limited and, as tense as she was feeling, it would likely make the situation worse.

It was here, surrounded by the easy lighting and warmth, that she was finally able to reflect on her dreams. It had been six days now that Seras had been awoken late in the night, three days since she had given up on a decent night's rest. The vampire shuddered, wrapping her undead arms around herself as her eyes threatened to close on her. With a shake of her head, she plucked the showerhead from its' mount and sat carefully on the dark granite bench, her toiletries migrating to her left side on the spacious bench.

Absently her hands went about their normal routine as she lathered up her hair and slowly rinsed out the sweet smelling shampoo from her short tresses. She began to worry at her bottom lip, careful not to puncture the skin with her sharp canines. She had yet to tell Alucard of her dreams and, more than anything, she hoped they would leave her before they became a problem. Honestly she was surprised her Master had not confronted her already; such dreams could not possibly stay within her own head. The sleep deprivation that was now seriously threatening the young woman's ability to perform her duties had gone unnoticed in the silence that had overwhelmed London these past couple of weeks. For this, at least, she was thankful for. The last time she had tried her hand at the shooting range she'd missed nearly every target, her eyes unfocused and mind lost somewhere else.

She knew why the dreams were plaguing her once again. One week hence would be the anniversary (such morbidity) of her father and mother's gruesome demise, some 25 years ago. Despite the time that had passed the memory of it was still fresh and palpable in her mind, cutting away at her sleep and soul every time she dared close her eyes. She stood, then, replacing the showerhead, having decided that she was not quite comfortable with sitting down. A shudder traced through her frame, laced with embarrassment and fury with her own weakness. This incident was gone, dead, buried. In the past. There was no changing it, much like she could not change the creature she now was. Allowing her dreams to so easily disrupt her daily life was disgusting and pitiful, a disgrace to not only herself but her Master.

And yet…it remained. That feeling of helplessness. Of uselessness. Watching her parents killed, her mother defiled, unable to do more than take a bullet in the gut for her attempted bravado. A creature of nightmares and she could not even escape her own.

Pathetic.

Her shoulders began to shake, eyes shut, teeth grinding together with a force that would have shattered a human's jawbone. With her forehead now pressed against the still cool tiles, Seras Victoria's fist clenched into a skin piercing grip, her fingernails breaking the skin on her palm easily and without notice. Suddenly and without warning her fist struck out, slamming into the wall with a force that shattered the tile, leaving a sizeable dent in the sheet rock behind it. Shaking, she withdrew her hand, staring with a blank fury at the chunks of tile embedded in her skin. Sluggishly her blood rose to the surface, dripping freely from the wounds to mingle with the water as it swirled down the drain. Just enough blood left in her system left to bleed. A scream fought its' way to her throat and she shoved it down, teeth and hands clenched together as though sheer pain could stop her rising emotions. Even these she had lost control of.

'Nicely done, Police Girl. Though I'm sure Walter will not feel the same as I do about the wall.'

Something between a gasp and a shriek escape the Police Girl as she whirled, bloody fist up as though to strike at something behind her. It took her longer than it should have to realize that she was, in fact, alone. Or, as alone as one could be when one had a vampiric Master who could decide to pop into one's mind whenever said Master wished.

"Master, what have I told you about frightening me?" Seras's irritated voice burst forth, further impressing upon even herself how exhausted she was. Had sleep not so eluded her, she would have felt that tingling that always seemed to precede her Master's voice before he spoke in her head. With a resigned sigh, her Master's own light anger beginning to flow through her mind, she returned to her task, rinsing out her hair and scrubbing down a body that never seemed to warm. The pain of her mangled fist had receded, the previously embedded chunks of tile being forced from her skin to land with a plink on the tiled floor.

'You haven't been drinking again, Police Girl.' His anger was palpable, even through the distance that separated them, searing her mind and causing her to wince. 'You're weak now. Weak and vulnerable. What has your mind in such turmoil, Seras Victoria?' Seras rapidly blinked away a soap bubble, wholly unaware of the light blush attempting to creep along her neck. It was so very rare that her Master used her name… Why was it that now, his voice seemed velvety, soft in her head?

Sleep deprivation, to be sure.

"Master…just…just…" She trailed off, feeling wary of her almost callous state of mind. "I don't want to talk about it, okay?" The Police Girl hunched in on herself, hand lightly tracing the wall tile's swirled design. A chuckle, at once both warm and frightening trilled through her mind, trailing away after a couple of seconds, amused by her antics.

'My Master, Sir Integra if you've forgotten in your careless, blood-less haze, wishes to speak to you when you are finished.' Seras groaned, fighting the urge to add a second hole to the first she had made in the shower wall. Whatever Sir Integra wanted with her was not likely to be good. She had done her best to avoid her Master's Master the past week, aware that she would notice her sudden lag in speed and speech even faster than her Master might. Anything not an asset to the Hellsing Organization….

"Alright, Master…" Seras' voice trailed off, whiny even to her as it echoed in the steamy shower. Sighing, she ducked her head beneath the scalding spray, allowing the tiny rivulets of water to wash away what soap was left on her body. As her Master's voice drifted off.

'Oh, and Police Girl?' Seras jumped for the second time that evening, her own anger beginning to surface.

'You missed a spot.' Something akin to a breeze brushed along the Police Girl's bare shoulder, enticing a shudder that seemed to travel from her tingling scalp to her scarlet painted toenails (boredom will make a vampire do many a strange thing). A tiny clump of soap drifted before her eyes, floating lazily down to join the water as it raced down the drain. Again, that chuckle, so frustratingly close within her mind, and then he was gone.

_A/N: I'm a whore for reviews, so lemme know what you think. Flames are pointless and help no one, however, I am always open for constructive criticisms, suggestions, and just plan ol' flattering responses. They are like sweet cream to my eyes. Keep in mind it's been a while, so try to be gentle. Thanks, mate!  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: I was surprised and delighted with the responses I received last time. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting as many as there were, and it gave me the encouragement to start this chapter. I apologize for the upload time; school and work have both bogged me down, and the flu has only made it worse. I hope that the chapter does not echo my sickness, and that it is as well received as the previous. Thank you all for reading and, as always, I still do not own Hellsing._

With heavy boots, Seras made her way silently down the stone corridor, in no particular hurry to reach Sir Integra's office. After delaying her shower for as long as was feasible, she had shut off the water, re-dressed in her robe and skirted her way back to her room. After a few moments of silent deliberation (it seemed everything she did these days was done silently), she disrobed and tugged her uniform on and into place, straightening out the clean, pressed fabric against her contours. All the while, her mind whirled, a stormy maelstrom of confusion and stomach tightening worry. Everything that had happened in the past few weeks flew by in her memory; every missed bullet at the shooting range, her unsettling sleeping habits, nightmares of her past and her sudden lack of hunger and relatively passive decision to stop drinking blood. There was no possible way that Sir Integra had not noticed her sudden lapse in attention, despite her rather devious attempts to avoid her. Seras was honestly surprised that her Master had not reprimanded her before it had gotten to be so bad. Glancing down at her boots, she double-checked the shine, satisfied upon seeing her own sallow form reflected there. Resisting the urge to wince at her own appearance, pale and sick with the lack of blood, Seras decided that there was quite literally nothing left to do and, with a deep, lingering sigh, she exited her room, shutting the door behind her with a soft click of the doorknob.

Then again, when was the last time she had actually SEEN her Master? A twinge of something painful raced through her body, lingering in her fingertips and in her chest as though she had been electrocuted. Rage? Sadness? Not quite; neither seemed to strike what she felt on the head… Jealousy seemed to hit a little closer to home. Blood struggled to rise to her cheeks as her embarrassment became overwhelming. Her gaze drifted to the stony floor, booted feet leading her to her Master's Master's office, mind on auto as she walked. It had been weeks since her Master had even drifted through her peripherals, let alone spoken to her or even given her the bloody time of day. For at least the third time that evening, she began to chew on her lower lip, careful not to puncture the skin there for fear that one less drop of blood in her system would cause her to shut down.

Her mind had fallen into such disarray that it took a chance glance up from the floor to save herself from bumping into the door. Upturned eyes and a forced slowing of the breath lent the young policewoman the air of a woman on the edge. The edge of what, however, remained to be seen.

After a few moments, during which she managed to both collect her scattered thoughts and ease into the somewhat dampened shell of herself, Seras Victoria knocked twice.

"Come in, Ms. Victoria, and be quick about it." Sir Integra's muffled voice lost none of the icy irritation it seemed to hold despite the barrier between them. With one last breath, Seras pushed open the heavy wooden doors, running her fingers lightly and appreciatively over the glossy wood finish as she did so, a comforting habit she had been unable to discourage since arriving at the Hellsing Manor. Silently and effortlessly, she shut the door behind her before turning to stand at attention before Sir Integra. As she turned she caught a flash of red, her eyes seemingly slow to the uptake as she finally recognized her own Master seated opposite Sir Integra. Seras could hardly keep her eyes from roving over her Master's elegantly splayed form, jealousy and anger swirling almost visibly in her eyes. His arms were crossed lazily across his chest, legs crossed at the ankles and disappearing beneath the desk in a way that clearly exemplified the multitude of times he had sat in that particular chair. His signature hat hung on the back of the chair, giving the impression that he wore it until he sat up somewhat, correcting his terrible posture.

"Well hello there, Police Girl. So nice of you to finally join us." Alucard's deep baritone trailed along Seras' skin, the sarcasm seeming to drip into her very pores until blood rose to her cheeks. She said nothing, however, and simply turned her gaze from her Master's, inadvertently meeting Sir Integra's as she did so.

"I apologize for the wait, Sir…" Her voice was soft, the exhaustion seeming to suffocate her words as she spoke. A heavy silence seemed to settle in place after she spoke, interrupted only by the shuffling of paperwork and the sound of Sir Integra pulling on her cigar, the tip burning as the tobacco entered her lungs. While time was taking a toll on the heiress, the fight had refused to leave her eyes, and the gentle grace which many seemed to miss at first glance still remained, lingering in the way she held her cigar and the way she crossed her legs beneath the table. Crows feet seemed to be the worst that had assaulted the imposing woman, a couple of wrinkles beginning to appear just above the bridge of her nose; a symbol of her constant stress. Despite all of this, the woman remained beautiful, regal and impressive in a way that Seras had always, and would always, admire.

"I have a mission for you, Ms. Victoria." Noticeably Seras paled, mouth ajar ever so slightly for perhaps a second before she straightened and stiffened her stance.

"Yes, Sir. The details?" Her voice held none of the prior weariness, her face stern and ready.

"As you may have noticed…there is no trouble here. We have not had an attack in well over four weeks, and things seemed to have settled down. Not a word has been uttered even from Iscariot, so it may even be safe to assume that they are devoid of troubles there as well." She paused, pulled the cigar from her mouth and exhaled a plume of smoke that seemed to fill Seras' sinuses. "Sit down, Agent Victoria. Help yourself to some tea." An order, not a suggestion, intended to be taken as such by the hard emphasis placed on the words.

With a curt nod, Seras glided forward, avoiding her Master's chair by taking the long way around his own to reach the chair beside his. Furthering her rather apparent irritation with her Master, something she was aware was childish but seemed unable to stop, she leaned towards the side of the chair furthest from her Master's, crossing her legs demurely before her. With a wave of Sir Integra's hand, a document held securely in said hand, Seras reached carefully forward and poured herself a cup of tea, careful not to knock anything over in the midst of the seeming infinite pile of paperwork. She added no sugar and only a hint of cream, enough to add a swirl of color to the amber liquid before bringing the cup close enough to cup between her two hands. The cup was surprisingly hot; subconsciously Seras had assumed that it would have cooled. Whereas a human's hands could not have withstood the heat, Seras relished it, forcing herself to keep from pressing the cup against her cheek. Slowly she sipped, the pleasantly bitter leaf-brewed tea danced along her palate, warming her mouth and heating her throat and stomach as it trickled down.

From her right her peripherals caught a flash of color and she could sense her Master's movement even as she refused to look. His arm came into her view then and plucked the teacup from her hand, removing it from her grasp. With a look of outrage plastered on her face, Seras turned, arm outstretched to retrieve it, only to be met with a smirk and an empty teacup. More furious than she should be, she turned away and focused once more on Sir Integra, refusing to give her Master any more attention than she already had. If the childish bastard wanted to steal her tea and spend all his time with Sir Integra, then so be-

"AGENT Victoria." Sir Integra's demanding tone ceased Seras' inner rant, causing her to come to realization that the lack of blood and sleep was affecting her ability to keep her focus. Already her thoughts were beginning to drift off, made only worse as he Master's amused chuckle darted through her mind. "Good. Now that I have your attention… This mission is not like most other missions you have taken. For one… you will be leaving the country." Seras' jaw dropped visibly this time, and she did nothing to stop it. Leaving? The country? She'd been born and bred in England, and hadn't ever given a thought to leaving, not even for vacation. The city was perfect and the countryside was beautiful; what more could she have ever asked for in her lifetime, or any other for that matter?

"B-But Sir Integra-"

"Silence, Victoria. I have very little time, and what little patience I have is wearing thin. You will accompany Alucard to…" She picked up a loose sheaf of paper, frowned for a moment behind the paper before shooting Seras a look over the document. "Austin, Texas. Your mission parameters are explained here." She offered a folder, pulled from some unseen location, to Seras leaving the vampire to understand that her Master had already been briefed on their mission. Much later, it would occur to her that this was a familiar place, and not simply because it was a city whose name was difficult to escape or forget. Much later, she would accept the mission with gusto and excitement, thoughts of meeting someone she'd thought she'd lost a far more overwhelming thought than the fear of leaving England.

Limply Seras accepted the folder, wrist bending with the thick folder's weight as she pulled it slowly back to herself. All the while her mind seemed broken, incapable of handling this information or even acknowledging it as anything more than a jumble of words from her Master's Master. All the while a familiar chuckle was building in her head, tracing its way with unseen fingers through her hair and down her neck, echoing in her ears as though she were actually hearing it.

"You may leave, Agent Victoria. You will be leaving here in two days time." Why the domineering woman did not simply order her departure was a mystery to the young vampire as Seras stood and robotically made her way to the door. Behind her, her finely tuned ears caught the noise of fabric as her Master leaned forward across the desk; the rustle of papers did not escape the Police Girl's attention as she exited the room, looking back nary a second as she shut the door behind her. What her Master and Sir Integra did behind closed doors was not her business, though if they were interlocked in some sort of romantic, behind the scenes relationship, it might explain where her Master's attentions had been the past couple of weeks…

With a sharp and violent shake of her head, Seras realized that she had been leaning against the door, listening unconsciously for any sort of noise that would validate her…thoughts. It was ridiculous, of course. There was no way the head of the Hellsing Organization would so demean herself. There could not possibly be any sort of connection between the two besides the connection she held with Alucard herself!

This caused her to wince, and flinch away from the door as though she had been physically wounded. Some aspect of their own relationship hurt the Police Girl; if nothing else, should her Master not care about her well being? It was clear to any vampire that she had not been drinking; hell, it was likely that Sir Integra could have easily spotted it. Something akin to sorrow settled in the young girl's mind, and she wallowed in it, lowering her head and shuffling silently down the hall in the opposite direction of her room. It took her a few seconds to realize that her thirst was so very overwhelming that she was headed towards the kitchen, and while the thought of blood was enough to cause a bilious taste to rise in her throat, a cup of hot tea might ease the ache for a little while longer.

Long enough, perhaps, for the memory of her parents to fade.

If nothing else, it would give her an opportunity to read the report beneath her arm. Some ominous thing told her that whatever it was that was encased in the suspiciously harmless manila folder was enough to leave her longing for a splash of brandy in the bitter tea she would soon ingest. She could feel it, like a dark plasma creeping up her arm and chilling her already freezing skin. She wondered if this was imagined or superimposed over her own thoughts, a little trick, courtesy of her Master. In either case, tea seemed to soften all things.

If nothing else, perhaps Walter would be around to comfort her, as he had seemed more wont to do as time had wore on for the both of them.

_A/N: I warn you ALL now that the way I choose to set up Austin in my following chapters may not (and probably does not) reflect reality. As the author of this particular little story, I retain the right to use my creative ingenuity whenever and however I please. If it upsets you, I'm sorry but I don't much care. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and would be tickled pink to have more reviews or, as always, constructive criticisms. Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry about the upload time and if it's not...fully edited. I've been working on this for weeks and I wanted to put it up for Christmas, so try to ignore any little errors you might notice for the author's sake. I would also like to dedicate this chapter to the TWO sole people who decided to review my last chapter. Thank you for taking the time to do so; reviews make me feel like putting up the next chapter is worth while. I was also unsure about how best to handle the rating; I figured I should upgrade from a T to an M primarily for the graphic nature of the violence. I don't feel like getting in trouble because it's rated incorrectly.  
_

The impossibly long trek to the kitchen was slow and ambling, Seras' mind distracted by the ringing of some distant memory; Austin was a place familiar to her, and yet, despite this fact she found herself unable to recall why exactly it should matter. On at least one level she was excited about the trip, a curious aspect of the upcoming mission that she supposed had something to do with this frustratingly distant memory lodged in her brain. With a brisk shake of her head, she'd returned to her conscious awareness to find herself in the kitchen, a rather amused looking Walter staring at her from across the large, marble topped island in the center of the kitchen. Seras raised an eyebrow and offered back a toothy grin, hip cocked ever so slightly to the side.

"I wouldn't be so amused if I'd just been caught in a floral patterned pink apron and kitty oven mitts." Her grin seemed only to widen as Walter blanched, glanced down at himself, and heaved a sigh worthy of even herself. "No, no! Leave everything on; you don't want to ruin your suit, now do you?" She teased as he tossed the mitts aside and began struggling out of the apron. It was simply too amusing to see the Angel of Death decked out in pink to pass up; the Police Girl wished she had a camera or something of the sort nearby. After a few minutes, now adorned solely in a black suit, his monocle reflecting the light of the overhead lights, he cleared his throat and offered a wan smile her way.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Victoria?" Walter's voice was worn, threads of amusement laced in his carefully manicured accent. After a moment of silence, his careful eyes watching her every move, scrutinizing her actions and her appearance, Seras remained standing, the folder now held to her chest with both of her hands. His eyes shifted to the folder, gaze burning with something indescribable before blinking back to reality, shaking his head ever so slightly as he turned back to the pasta he had been stirring. Accepting this silently, her own eyes wary and aware enough to have seen the slight shift in his features, she slid onto one of three bar stools that lined the side of the island closest to the door.

For several moments, neither of them spoke. Seras rested her gently clasped hands atop the still closed manila folder, eyes boring into the back of Walter's head as she waited for him to turn back from the apparently captivating boiling pot. Silence exploded in the kitchen, thick and offensive as the vampire stilled, her breathing all but stopping as she adopted the statue like solidity that only the living dead managed to perfect. After what felt like only a minute, but had in actuality been fifteen, Walter turned, two cups of tea and the teapot held in his hand. He slid Seras' across the island before dragging a bar stool around to the opposite side if the divisor. He sat with a groan and placed his forearms down, leaning ever so slightly forward.

Glancing down, Seras' eyes softened and a smile eased across her features; her favorite tea in her favorite teacup, a blue and white swirl design cup, delicate and old, a combination that Walter had always said suited her. With that same smile gracing her lips, she sipped from the cup, never ceasing to be amazed with the happiness that ensued the warmth.

"I'm not going to like what I find in here… am I, Walter?" Her voice was soft, just barely audible in the silent kitchen. Walter sighed and offered her his candid stare.

"No, Ms. Victoria. I'm afraid not." His voice was heavy, more exhausted than anything else as he met her eyes. Despite the utter solidity of this statement, there was something soothing to the vampire in the elder man's eyes. With a light sigh, the resignation clear in that simple breath, Seras carefully opened the folder, rubbing her finger along the crease in the center to force the cover open, unaware of just the sort of rabbit hole she was leaping headlong into.

_OOoOoOoOoOoO_

It took her over four and half hours to read. At first it was difficult to pull her mind from the distractions of the Hellsing manor; members of the staff drifting in and out, some for food and others to speak to Walter on matters which concerned him. At one point, she was sure her Master was eavesdropping, rifling through her mind before she shut him out with a cold anger that seemed to do its' job. All the while Walter sat patiently by, saying nary a word except when asked a question and refreshing Seras' tea every time she finished it. It was perhaps the third cup in that she asked politely for a splash of the strongest alcohol they had, caring nary a whit if it would have any effect on her.

The disappearances had begun approximately four months ago. Seras was only just reading about any of this now because it had taken this long for the American government to enlist Hellsing for help; apparently what was happening there now was of the likes they had never seen. Curiously enough, the FBI had been brought in after the third disappearance and they, like the police, had had little luck in determining the culprit of these heinous crimes. After all that had happened, it had been decided that enough mistakes and dead-end clues called for someone from abroad. Someone with ample experience regarding such mysterious happenings as the occult happenings in this free-spirited town. Considering what the folder contained Seras soon realized that, in reality, this was simply out of their league.

The local Austin police department had thought little of the first murder; a nameless man on the street who was found dead in a garbage can in the back of a Denny's. His eyes had been gouged out, mouth open and face twisted in a look of sheer horror. Despite this, there was little to go on; he was homeless and lacked any sort of ID. Were it not for the cross viciously scratched into his forehead, the connection to the other murders wouldn't have been made. The images attached showed a middle-aged man, teeth missing (though they were determined to have been gone long before he was murdered) and torn, dirty clothes in disarray. His eyes were nothing but bloody remnants of what should have been eyes; deep gouges with nothing more than bloodied pulp. Twin trails of blood ran down his face, as though he had been crying. She could tell that the cross had been done post-mortem, a fact that she later confirmed from the report.

The next incidence was a disappearance, a sixteen year old girl; Sarah Thompson from San Marcos. She'd been shopping with her friends when she'd vanished. Perhaps the most curious part was that none of her friends, (four of them, two of them male, each around her age, give or take a year) hadn't seen a thing. Seras, as well as the police, had a feeling this had something to do with the .10 blood alcohol content that they each blew when they were later picked up by a traffic cop responding to their call for help. They searched for the girl for weeks; signs were posted by friends and family on every light post and bulletin board for miles, covering far beyond the city limits of Austin. Skimming the rest of the report, detailing who they spoke to and the responses they elicited, Seras found that, as of a week ago, they had still seen neither hide nor hair of the girl. Photos of the girl were attached; dirty blonde, bright blue eyes, warm smile, modest figure… She was posing with a straw cowboy hat, mid-laugh with people Seras assumed were her friends in the background. Beautiful in a way that was not solely related to her appearance.

After Sarah was Eric Jones, a freshman in high school and a rising star on the football team. His fifteenth birthday was four days after he was taken. The police, at this point, were beginning to worry. Two teenagers taken from Austin in the dead of night and, much like the second victim (while the report of the girl had attempted to maintain some sort of hope for her returning alive, both the police and Seras knew better), there were no witnesses despite the fact that he had gone out with his family. To celebrate his winning goal in the game he had been in earlier that evening. They put his time of disappearance somewhere around 8:15; the last person to see him had been an elderly gentleman who had held the bathroom door open for the young man. He even went so far as to mention how polite the lad had been, his smile bright and his demeanor energetic.

Unlike the girl, his body had been found on the evening of his birthday, his parents holding onto a last scrap of hope that even the police were beginning to doubt existed. Horror began to take on a whole new meaning as the Police Girl ceased scanning and read each and every detail, building herself up for the images she was about to witness. She had a feeling that the devil would, in this instance, be in the details.

Had it not been for some drunken, horny teenagers it was likely that his discovery would have taken longer. Three pairs of teens, drunk on alcohol they later claimed they stole from one of their parent's refrigerators, stumbled into one of several abandoned warehouses in a slummy district, just barely within the Austin city limits. It was a well known hangout for teens, as were a few other warehouses in the nearby district, and it had been a normal Friday night, each of them with a mind for only one thing. All of them had been relatively drunk when the police finally responded to the frantic, terrified call they received shortly after midnight. The 911 operator had stated, along with the manuscript of what had been said, that the kids had sounded beyond wasted and, even so, they had been terrified. The last thing on their mind had been any danger they would incur by calling, underage and far beyond the legal limit. What they arrived to find at the scene had unnerved even the hardened captain of the police force, Samuel Landzer. He had been the only one not to lose his lunch.

Eric was found crucified, his limbs staked to the splintery, poorly crafted excuse for a cross. This alone had the entire police force after a cult, some deranged group of religious nut jobs whose identities were mysterious enough to be safe for the officers. No way they could know who had done this to the poor, talented young boy. Seras understood this, this feeling of hopeful anonymity… And yet somehow, it was always in these cases where the exact opposite seemed to be true.

Despite having only been missing for three days, the boy was clearly malnourished, his cheekbones standing in stark relief against his sallow, pale skin. His face had been contorted into a look that conveyed his terror, horror and pain all in one gruesome quagmire of emotion. His eyes, like the homeless man found in the dumpster, had been gouged out leaving bloody trails of tears down his cheeks. However, rather than a cross carved into his forehead, the roman numeral I had been brutally scratched into the flesh. His face, marred and destroyed was perhaps the most bearable thing to look at. Below his neck was a mess so disturbing Seras had to stare at the multiple photographs for quite some time, comparing what she saw to the coroner's notes, to be sure of what she was looking at. Despite the gore and death she herself had witnessed, she had been unable to keep herself from losing the hint of color she had regained and, after a moment or two, was forced to close her eyes and take a deep breath. The trick was to imagine this as…just a photograph. Something you might see in a horror film, perhaps. But not something that had actually occurred. Not something that had happened to this rising star athlete of his high school.

Below his neck, his body was not recognizable as anything even closely related to a human torso. The entire length of this torso had been torn open; notes in both the autopsy report and in the police report suggested that there had been no weapon found at the scene of the crime. More importantly, whatever had done the damage was not on any sort of file. Weapon after weapon was compared to the wounds, from the reasonable to the ridiculous, including even a semi-sharpened dinner plate that had been found in the alleyway. None of the subsequent wounds matched Eric's wounds. With a magnifying glass Walter had provided, Seras studied the photographs of Eric on the autopsy table, his face covered with a sheet, as though the medical examiner himself could not stand to see him. Almost instantly it became clear that it had been claws. But they were too small to be any sort of native animal, hence the exclusion in the reports. And they had been right to do so; no normal human being would have the strength or the will to tear someone apart using only their hands.

Intestines dangled almost comically from the center of his stomach; one of the photographs had caught some of the remaining liquid dripping the last few inches to pool on the floor. Various organs were scattered in the warehouse, each corner holder the greater amounts of blood and various bits and pieces of his insides. His feet and hands were never found. The stumps showed evidence of cauterization, leading both police and Seras to believe that he had been alive when they had been removed. When the police had gathered themselves enough, the criminal investigation team had been summoned and the boy brought down from what should never have been his final resting place. It was when he was finally pried free from the cross that the carvings in his back were revealed.

"Primus…e..quattour…" Seras read the words softly to herself, startling Walter who had been pouring her a fresh cup of tea. She instantly recognized it as Latin and, due to her increasing boredom as the years had rolled on, she was able to read it. Not that that made the message any less foreboding.

"First of…four?" The police report confirmed what she thought it meant. Eric Jones was the first of four. It was as though the bottom of her stomach dropped out; a thin, icy coil of worry wound itself up in her belly as the very clear implications of this set in. The wounds had bled when they were created; another indication that they had been done while Eric was still breathing. It had seemed, however, that there was not a surface on the boy, the cross, or the warehouse floor, that had not been covered in blood.

Once Seras had concluded the police and autopsy report for Eric Jones, and had carefully taken in each of the multiple photographs that had been paper clipped to the reports, she found herself…fairly unwilling to read the rest of the attached document. Despite her hardened attitude towards such things (it was difficult to remain squeamish when nearly every night of her dead life was filled with gore, death and more death), Seras was not surprised to find herself nauseated and nervous. The pictures had been horrific, to say the least, and already she was ready and willing to launch herself full throttle into the mission. Any creature, vampiric or otherwise, that could do such things to such a young, apparently sweet child, needed to be stopped at all costs.

With a heavy heart and a cold belly, Seras took a deep, slow breath before turning Eric's file over and delving into the other five.

_OoOoOoOoOoO_

Three hours later, Seras was closing the folder a little greener around the gills than when she had first entered the kitchen. Wearily she raised her gaze to catch Walter's eyes, his own gaze drawn to her when she had closed the file. A tiny blossom of warmth blossomed in her seemingly hollow chest; it was as though he had known she would need some sort of comfort or support as she was reading into the cases. He had said nary a word for the hours that she had read over the folder's contents, simply existing in a hovering mother sort of way, refreshing her tea the moment she had drained her cup and doing tiny tasks here and there as she read, making just enough noise for the vampire to know he remained in the kitchen. While the years had changed each of the Hellsing Organization members, they had also incurred relationships to blossom between some of them. Walter had been the closest thing she could call a friend for quite some time; the only person who was willing to listen if she was upset and the only one with just enough tact to help with her problems. Inadvertently, he had become the father she had lost.

The warmth that had filled her was gone, now, leaving her feeling hollow and miserable. Thinking of her father had refreshed the terror of the evening's nightmares. Years had passed and not only was she still haunted by the events that took place, but she found herself in possession of a nearly photographic memory of the incident. Even the pain from her stomach wound still seemed to throb every so often. She stood then, as though to outrun her surfacing memories, stretching her arms high above her head before crossing them just below her breasts.

"You know about this, right Walter. These case files, the disappearances…the murders…"

"Indeed, Ms. Victoria. Integra gave me the details as she collected the folder you have in your hands now." She nodded beneath the fluorescent lighting, chewing absently on her lip as her mind whirred. All the while Walter simply sat still, awaiting the barrage of questions he thought likely to occur.

"Oh Walter, this is horrible." Her voice was tinny, as distant as her gaze. Two of the remaining cases had been the same, except one of them had been a woman with evidence of severe sexual trauma; Seras had cracked the marble topped island when she had reached that particular description, so tightly had her fists been clenched on the island. The remaining three cases remained active as missing persons files.

"I can see now why we're being sent…" Almost absently she scanned the extensive notes Sir Integra had added as she herself had read the reports, all the while stretching and moving her way silently around the kitchen. Walter kept her in his peripheral, moving his head only slightly as he set his own cup of tea down, the tea itself having long since cooled.

She paused for a moment, opened up several of the cupboards as though searching for a snack, the actions a deeply ingrained habit that she remained unaware of as her mind whirled. It was more than obvious that there was something evil occurring in the city of Austin, Texas, and based on the evidence presented, it was rather clear that the culprit responsible for these actins was vampire in nature. All in all, it was curious. The same questions Sir Integra had so clearly presented in her crisp and thorough notes surfaced in Seras' mind as well, whirling and swirling about her battered head as she rifled through cabinets and drawers, rearranging and shifting things as she moved. Walter followed her movements with a raised eyebrow, something akin to amusement evident in his gaze.

What were vampires doing in the states? It was true that this was not the first incident of vampire activity in the United States; rather, there had been a string of attacks in the early forties and late sixties that had quickly been silenced and taken care of at the time. However, vampire activity was far more common in Europe, likely because the first vampire had been a born and bred European, leading the larger concentration of them to be there. It had also not gone unnoticed that the date of the first disappearance coincided with the last incident of vampire attacks they had had in London. Subsequently, their own silences had begun just as Eric Jones was found, trussed up like some disturbing display for any and all to witness.

And yet, perhaps the most important question remained: Why was this still occurring? If the Austin police had been incapable of handling what was occurring, why wait until five distinct, obviously linked cases, not including the homeless man's death (whom Seras believed to be some sort of…practice for whoever it was that was killing these kids), had already happened before contacting the Hellsing Organization? Why was the FBI so late in joining the fray? Why wait until five teenagers, not a one over eighteen, had been kidnapped and, in three of the scenarios, murdered in a manner that was not only indicative of more to come, but was violent and brutal in a way that suggested serious sadism? According to the Latin phrases carved into each of the murdered kids' backs, there was still one left to go. Would it be one of the ones that remained MIA? Or would there be another string of kidnappings? More importantly, what was it that these…monsters were attempting? The "first of four" suggested some sort of ritualistic use, a similar conclusion that all parties had come to. What sort of ritual were they sacrificing these children for?

Quite suddenly Seras dropped the paprika and nutmeg she had been rearranging in the spice cabinet, eyes wide and full of something akin to surprise.

"Alex. Alex! THAT'S why Austin struck such a chord!" Walter was staring at her in surprise, eyebrows lifted as he gave her his full attention.

"Excuse me, Ms. Victoria?"

"Alex Chechki! He was my partner through the police academy! He was always at the top of his class… He helped me along… Taught and trained me when I was caught on something confusing…" She trailed off momentarily, a hint of warmth in the fond memory. "He was so kind to me, Walter. But he left right after we graduated to accept a high ranking position in the states. It was to Austin, Texas he was sent. I remember laughing and teasing him about cowboy hats and the like." She grinned almost sheepishly before the reality of the situation settled itself in. "But there's no way he's still there now. He would never allow something like this to occur for so long unchecked."

With a sigh she turned and exited the kitchen, file in hand as she nodded and thanked Walter for his company. Already she had the rest of her evening planned out; she would pack her belongings for the flight, attempt another round at the shooting range, maybe go for a jog…then another shower before an attempt at sleep. Praying for an hour of restful, uneventful sleep in which her past did not rear it's ugly head. The thought that, had things turned out differently, there may have been someone to turn to with her nightmares; Alex had been the only person she had trusted in her young life, and he had been the only one she had told of her past.

As she meandered about the halls, loosely making her way back to her room with a mind far too full of thoughts to take in her surroundings, she found herself relatively calm, having already decided that she would stop these monsters. The folder remained tucked beneath her arm, held tightly enough to her side that it was a wonder it didn't disappear into her skin. Far too distracted to notice the too dark corner as she sashayed past, the cold curiosity emanating going unnoticed by the vampire as she made her way into the darkened hallway. Before she knew it, she had made it back to her quarters. The folder she set on the table with a sigh, setting it down with the ginger touch of someone handling a live bomb.

"So unobservant, Police Girl." For what felt to be at least the fourth time this day, Seras leapt as though she had been electrocuted. "I've been watching you since you left the kitchen." He phased through the ceiling to land, light as a feather, on the floor. It did not escape the Police Girl's notice, however, that he had chosen (as Alucard never did things that were not planned) to stand in front of her door, effectively blocking off any sort of an escape-

A lecture. Sweet baby James, he was going to lecture her about her sudden inability to stomach her blood.

And then her face really lost its' color; a lecture from her Master was not something she could handle on top of everything that had already occurred this seemingly never-ending day. Before she could open her mouth to tell him this he had already circled around her to sit at the table, his angular body appearing to take up the majority of her space. There was something…odd in his features. While she could not place it, she had a feeling that he was far angrier than he was letting on to. When she attempted to reach out her mind, to touch his own, she was faced with a sharp, solid wall. She shuddered and turned to face him, eyes narrowed and brow furrowed; if there was to be a fight, then by the stones of her bedchamber, she was not going down without trading her own blows.

"Pretty disgusting." Seras blinked, tilting her head slightly at the comment before realizing he was flipping through the folder. "What a pathetic lot of vampires these creatures pretend to be. Ritualistic sacrifices, missing children, and savagely corny destruction." He shook his head, the motion less emphasized with the lack of hat. He reached up and removed his glasses, laying them on the table beside the picture of Eric, his face shining with joy as his friends and family lifted him after the conclusion of a victorious game. She winced, that same feeling of helplessness she had awoken to reawakening with a vengeance, latching onto her mind and consciousness painfully.

"What has you so upset, Police Girl?" Again she jumped, his presence now suffocatingly close, standing mere inches from her face. A whiff of something hit her senses and her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head; since when did her Master smell like chocolate drizzled heaven? Burning fire slid through her frame, alighting in her cheeks and neck as she truly flushed for the first time in what feel like weeks. The heat settled somewhere lower than her belly, intensifying her embarrassment. It was as though he were spewing some sort of pheromone that left her feeling needful and empty.

And, of course, Alucard could see all of this.

A sly smile slid across his features cat-like as he leaned forward, trapping her between the table and himself. With a quick glance, Seras could still see that strange anger smoldering behind his eyes, made all the more real by his closeness. And something else. Some nameless, ancient emotion that Seras couldn't quite place or put a name to. Seras' gaze, however, was focused on the table, hands white knuckling the very edge of the table, back pressed nearly hard enough to break the circular table behind her. Further and further back he pushed her until he towered over her petite frame, his nearly waist-length hair draping over his shoulders to tickle the bare skin of her neck and cheeks.

"M-M-M-M…" And now her breasts were pressed against his chest, something she couldn't solve by sucking in her breath, no matter how painfully he pressed herself into the table. His breath was tickling her cheeks, making her knees weak and shaky. All at once she was helpless. All at once she was overwhelmed in a way she was…unaccustomed to. And all at once…she was not hating this feeling. Coherency attempted to strike; the noises from outside Sir Integra's door, the feeling that they were involved in some way beyond a professional relationship… There was no way what he was doing was, in any way, related to anything he might feel for her. He had to be toying with her. Teasing her and getting her back in place of the lecture she had been so sure had been coming. Sadness bled through her desire, breaking the almost tangible feelings she had felt. Anger began to surface, bleeding into the embarrassment and shock she was feeling, beginning to overwhelm her as he pulled closer and closer…

His lips hovered just above her own parted mouth, Seras' eyes incapable of pulling away from Alucard's hypnotizing gaze.

"Still only a child, Police Girl." And then he was gone, leaving behind that intoxicating scent and the warmth of his skin on hers. His chuckle echoed in her mind, trailing down her shoulders and running through her hair with invisible fingers as she found herself more furious than she'd ever felt in her life. With a strangled, furious cry, she rounded on the table and pounded down with all the force she could muster not only breaking the table, but reducing the greater majority of it to splinters beneath her vampiric hands.

"YOU DIRTY, CRUEL-HEARTED SON OF A BITCH." While her belly and system remained empty on blood, her fury seemed to empower her, energizing her with more than enough strength to accomplish the tasks she had set out for herself. Deciding to postpone her packing, she stormed from her room, slamming the door hard enough to crack the frame behind her as she stomped her way to the shooting range. There was much to do, but in her current state of mind it was likely she would just end up breaking something else if she stayed in the confines of her room much longer. To say she was feeling lucky would be an understatement.

What a silly thought; that her Master might feel anything beyond his "ownership" of the little Police Girl.

_A/N: Merry Christmas, dear reviewers, and a Happy New Year. Or, for those who don't celebrate it, happy holidays. The more reviews I get, the more likely I am to update faster, so keep them reviews comin'. As always, constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated._


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey, so...sorry about the loooooooong update time. Between being sick, having a huge load of homework, and a fairly painful death in the family, I haven't much been in the mood to write... As such, I hope that this chapter is at least ACCEPTABLE to those out there who have followed my story thus far. Enjoy_

She was in the closet again. Peeping out through the slated blinds that made up the double doors of the storage space in her parent's bedroom. The fight had come here, after her mother had locked her in the closet and begged her to remain quiet…to remain silent and safe. Her mother was screaming…screaming and then…silence. Laughter, high and wrong, echoing in her head. Her father, calling out something unintelligible as he fought back. The sound of something shattering. Pain, tangible despite the distant knowledge that she was engaged in a dream, exploding in her head as their attackers shrieked with laughter. Almost vaguely she knew she was being watched, watched beyond the sense of the dream…as though there were someone standing alongside her in the dream itself. But though this registered briefly in her mind, it was set aside as the events progressed and the nightmarish setting dissolved into chaos.

'_PAPPA! JUST RUN! JUST RUN! PLEASE GOD NO NOT AGAIN PAPPA RUN-' _Her cries were soundless, the words dying before they even left her mouth. Her hands moved frantically around her feet, above her head, searching for something, anything, that could be classified as a weapon. This time it would be different; this time she would save her Pappa and they would leave this place and-

And it was no longer Eric Jones hanging on that cross. She could smell…smoke? Yes, she could smell smoke and a sound…something familiar whose origin she couldn't quite name… And then the pain, oh the _pain_, as her skin sizzled against the rough wooden cross. Her wide eyes rolled in her skull, mouth open and contorted as her soundless voice released silent screams; she forced herself to look down, only to discover with growing horror that she could not find the floor. Darkness stretched down from her lower legs seemingly forever, reaching out into an oblivion which had swallowed her legs. Her skin was melting, dripping from her bones and landing with audible, painfully loud 'plops' on the invisible floor. Pain exploded in her gut and she forced her eyes down, blood streaming in rivulets from her tear ducts, to look down at the source of this new and excruciating pain.

A fresh wave of horror and fear tore through her as she watched the pale skin of her stomach stretch…and stretch and stretch, as though something were pushing against the lining of her belly. An entirely new pain rippled through frame as her skin split and opened; blood poured from the gaping wound as her organs fell, lumped together, to land with a grotesque squelching splat on what Seras could only assume was the floor. Her hands jerked involuntarily at the shock and pain, face almost translucent with the loss of blood. What little strength she had possessed, up until that moment, was nearly gone, draining with the consistent loss of blood and trauma.

With what little strength she had left, head as heavy as a fifty pound weight, Seras lifted her gaze, mouth slack and hoarse despite the lack of noise which had escaped it.

Eyes…

~ooo~

With a sharp jerking motion, a scream on the very edge of her throat, Seras awoke. Instinctively she slammed herself upwards, only to meet the roof of her coffin with a velocity fast enough to leave her dazed. She dropped back to the coffin's plush, silky interior, fingers groping for the button which would-

She froze, fingers arched into claws as her eyes strained for something familiar in the darkness. Her memories were foggy, fear being the primary emotion occupying her mind, with panic quickly bringing up the rear. This was not her coffin; it was, in fact, far from her own coffin. It was nearly impossible to resist the urge to claw at the top-she could not move past the fear that had accompanied her from her dream and if she did not find a way to leave this coffin, she wasn't quite sure what would happen. Seras' chest began to rise and fall rapidly, increasing the prior feeling of dizzy nausea. Her body began to spasm, eyes rolling in her head as she slowly grew accustomed to the darkness. Despite the knowledge, lodged somewhere in the back of her subconscious, that she was on the plane to Austin and she was, in fact, as safe as she could be, Seras could not stop the panic which threatened to engulf her mind.

"If you don't stop that, you're going to black out… Highly unusual for a vampire, but still a possibility." Seras shrieked once more, throwing herself against the side of the coffin that she was closest to, causing the wood to crack beneath the pressure, curling herself against it as well as she could to minimize her body size.

"Master?" She squeaked, pressed nearly flat against the side of coffin. "Master, what are you DOING here? We don't share COFFINS!" Rather than an answer, Seras' panicked questions were answered with a warm chuckle and gloved hands around her arms, pulling her from the wall; she was only just beginning to realize that there was more room in the coffin than previously imagined. Doing a quick, loose guess on the size of the coffin, her panic and fear addled brain just barely functioning, Seras determined that this coffin was approximately twice the size of her coffin/bed hybrid at home; improbable, but she found, for some reason, that she was unable to recall the exact events which led to her being here in the first place. And though she would never have asked for such arrangements, she could see her Master choosing something similar in order to torment her, as he had been wont to do in the past week or so… Likely it had also been her Master's choice to install the plush, satiny interior… Something about that thought caused a rush of heat and fury to overwhelm her previous fear. Still squirming, mind racing to understand exactly what was happening (as she could not move past the point that Sir Integra would have been forced to okay the decision before hand), she pushed against him as he pulled her closer, ignoring her attempts to escape.

Seras opened her mouth, heated protestations and an endless stream of questions threatening to spill from her mouth, just as a gloved hand came to rest on her forehead. Quite suddenly she was overwhelmed by a feeling which could only be described as complete and utter ease. Her body grew slack, gaze blurry as her eye lids drooped uncontrollably. She felt as though she were in a hot bath, one which reached to warm not only her skin but her mind and her heart, the waters holding her steady and releasing her fear as gentle ripples ebbed against her body. She did not protest, now, as her Master pulled her closer, tossing a leg absently over her torso as he tucked his arm beneath her head for a headrest. She had lost even the will to be embarrassed by the situation, though she was able to file away her anger for another day.

"Much worse than previously thought…" Her Master's musing tone broke lightly through the fog, causing her eyebrows to knit together in confusion.

"Ma…ster… Wha..?" Though her eyes had begun to adjust to the darkness, she could not see as her Master shook his head. Rather, she felt the urge to sneeze as a lock of hair swept across her cheeks and nose, tickling the sensitive skin there. Almost giddily she was forced to push away the urge to turn and run her fingers through his hair… She could almost feel the silky tendrils between her fingers, sliding smoothly over her skin of its' own free will… Though she was fairly sure she'd entered some sort of dream-like state, she could not help but feel grateful to be free from the nightmarish landscape she'd been so entrapped within.

Curiously, she was aware that he smelled strongly of cinnamon.

"Sleep, Police Girl. We have several hours yet before we reach the States." And with that, she fell into a sleep far deeper than that which had so haunted her, the smell of cinnamon and the weight of her Master guiding her into a darkness which was blessedly free of memories and nightmares.

~ooo~

A rough landing drew Seras from her sleep sluggishly, eyes flickering open for perhaps a moment before she was drawn back down into sleep, tucking her head beneath her arms as though to ward of the coming noise. The sleep she'd had was… deep… right. The kind of sleep vampires were supposed to have, filled not with dreams or terror but darkness, and offering a restful feeling that could not be found in the simple act of drinking blood. Her limbs had even acquired that sleepy feeling; clenching her fist was a simple task but one her body did not wish to perform as she lay in the pleasant warmth of the coffin. Judging by the now gentle and almost subtle swaying movements she could sense, the plane was just about to finish taxiing, and soon they would be unloaded from the cargo bay and-

As though this thought triggered her memories to return, she jolted violently, remembering that it had not been her own arm she'd fallen asleep on. She shifted herself around and discovered, all at once, that she was alone. Blinking through the darkness, she hesitantly stretched her arm out, towards the side of the coffin, and was even more surprised when her fingertips touched the side of the coffin before her arm had even been fully extended. Seras frowned, tilted her head ever so slightly. She had been so sure that…her Master…

As the implications of what she was so sure had occurred flickered through her mind, Seras found herself nibbling lightly at her lower lip, gaze dancing this way and that as her mind whirred, returning to the moments during which her Master had…held her…had helped to ease the fear which had so encompassed her… Tears threatened the Police Girl's eyes as she finally broke through the skin on her lower lip. The bastard had been toying with her mind, making her believe that they were…together. The embarrassment she felt, now, at having allowed his….his proximity to affect her so was nearly overwhelming. Had she the blood left to cry…

With her head in her hands she allowed herself to sink into a sort of nonexistence, lost somewhere in-between conscious thought and sleep. As she drifted, her mind wandered, settling on a pleasant mixture of soft colors and static, the scent of cinnamon occasionally tingeing her thoughts with flashes of red and gold.

~ooo~

Seras was pulled from the light dozing she'd pushed herself into by voices and the sound of something brushing against her lid. The fairly consistent movement, once she had been unloaded (and yes, she had rolled her eyes with the thought) and then loaded onto their transportation, as they made their way to the hotel had lulled her back into a fairly steady doze. Slowly she brushed away the curtain of sleep which had settled at some point during the journey from the airport to their pre-paid hotel room. Every step of this excursion had been thought of before hand and planned well in advance; Integra had only brought Seras in to tell her of the assignment well after everything was situated. To a certain extent, this had left Seras with a nasty taste in her throat. To have been ignored throughout the entire planning process made her feel as though she were excess baggage. A simple number to factor into an equation which had nothing and everything to do with her.

Since this moment of clarity, Seras had fallen into a rather sour mood. It had followed her through the rest of the time spent preparing herself for the mission. It had clung, like a stubborn child, to her as she as lowered herself into her coffin and prepared herself to be boarded. It had whispered consistently in her ear as she had felt the pressure against her ears when the plane had taken off. Worthless. And then the nightmares had begun again; her fault, she supposed, for allowing herself to fall asleep. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden onslaught of light as the lid of her coffin was removed.

"There we are! We've finally arrived at the hotel…sure was interesting persuading these hotel folk to allow us the use of their ballroom; we couldn't fit these damn things in the elevator, and we didn't even think to try those narrow staircases. Though Alucard never seems to have any trouble with the ladies." Seras blinked through the blinding light, squinting as her eyes slowly adjusted to the shift in lighting. Stifling a yawn and disregarding the veiled comment slipped in with a chuckle, she pushed herself up, rubbing at her eyes whilst simultaneously running a hand through her short locks in an attempt to control her now unruly mane. It took only a moment for her eyes to adjust. With almost apathetic eyes she glanced around their surroundings. Her eyes lit on her Master, suited and free of his coffin with the appearance befitting a gentlemen of high caliber.

It was enough to send her reeling, blushing and furious as she stood and shook the sleep from her limbs; thankfully, her embarrassment went unnoticed…due to the fact that she had not the blood to produce a proper blush. Glancing around, she found the statement made when her coffin was opened to be fairly accurate. A high ceiling of bright gold, meant to appear held up by tall, elegant gold and sapphire pillars with spiral shapes, tapered to a point, suggesting that this room was off the main body of the hotel. Seras highly doubted that there was anything above it.

Her coffin, along with the one her Master had been "shipped" in, were on the floor a few feet apart. Wrapping her arms around herself, she glanced only momentarily at her Master before settling her attention on the three soldiers, each in plain clothes attire, that Integra had sent to follow along as back-up. They were, to put it lightly, the best of the best of the best; more than enough solid reinforcements between herself and her Master. If it came to the moment where they were a necessity, she was simply not doing her job correctly. Seras glanced down at her own attire; a black pencil skirt and button down blouse of light blue accompanied by low heels that she had worn for the moments after their flight. It was, according to her internal senses, a little past noon. Their first meeting with the chief of police would not be until eight… Which meant that the best choice to spend the time, considering that the men each looked worn and ragged, would be to allow them to rest until then. She, in the meantime, would clean herself up and explore the city; she wished to see the crime scenes with her own eyes before the meeting and, with so much time to spare, it only made sense to do as much.

"Alright, boys! Let's get these coffins out of the way so we can adjourn to our rooms, eh?" She smiled brightly, hands on her hips as they groaned. Alucard, who had until this point been content to stand aside, snorted and strode towards the double doors, his boots making a light 'click' sound against the polished marble floors. With little more than a swish of hair, he was gone, disappearing through the floor as he made his own way to God only knew where. Seras retorted with her own snort, an eye roll on the heels of the un-ladylike noise. Before she allowed herself to get irritated she busied herself with determining where the coffins would be kept, where her room was (809 on the 8th floor) and where the men were staying (815 and 16, a conjoined room two doors down on the opposite side of the hallway). After accepting her room keycard, Sears gave them their orders, which they received with relative happiness, before she dismissed them and took care of the coffins.

All of this was accomplished within 15 minutes and, by 12:30, Seras was making her way up to the room. Already she was forced to admit that she was…impressed. She'd expected to be shacked in some sleazy motel whose manager gave her a look to end all desirous looks, and where the beds could no more be safely slept in than one could bathe in the shower without slippers of some kind. It appeared, however, that Sir Integra had spared no expense when choosing their hotel; 5 stars did not seem to be enough to describe the place they'd ended up in. What was the name? She searched her memory without success and was forced to refer to her keycard; etched in the most graceful script she'd ever seen were the words The Donovan Plaza. Almost absently she traced the delicate words with a single finger as the elevator took her to her floor. Her hands were empty besides the key and the lack of any sort of weapon left her feeling somewhat antsy as the boxed contraption made its' way slowly towards the 8th floor. Her luggage, which she hadn't seen since long before boarding the flight, had been taken to the room she would be staying in.

As the elevator eased slowly to a stop, Seras stepped gratefully from it to the light colored industrial carpeting, large diamonds centered in squares making up he design on the floor. She breathed a slight sigh of relief and, following the directional arrow on the wall, began her silent trek towards the room she would be staying in.

As she walked she allowed her mind to plan; the boys would be asleep for quite some time, and the meeting was not until later… she would shower, clean herself up, change into something a little more comfortable, and then head towards the sights of the murders. She knew, already, that protocol would demand that she and her entourage (that being Alucard and the three soldiers) would be brought by the locations on a more official standing; they would be expected to take notes and photograph every inch of the sites, despite the fact that each of these things would have already been done… Taking a little bit of time to examine the sites before hand would make her, personally, feel more comfortable with what she was dealing with.

More importantly, she felt that it was just something she needed to do.

Abruptly she found herself standing before her room; glancing down at her key card to confirm the room number, she slid the card in and opened the door simultaneously as the little light flickered to green. Sliding in through the open door, she gently shut it behind her, engaging both the deadbolt and the chain lock as her eyes scouted the room and her senses told her that she was, at the moment alone. Taking in a slow, deep breath (something she still did on occasion despite the lack of necessity for it), Seras leaned against the door for a moment, relaxing somewhat as she gazed around the rather spacious room. Even from where she was she could tell that , overall, it was a nicer room than even her own at the Hellsing manor. She strode forward, arms loosely wrapped around her midsection, nibbling thoughtfully on her lower lip. Though she attempted to exude the same calm feeling she was so carefully portraying, Seras could hardly stop herself from leaping about in girlish delight; the room was several steps above any living quarters that she had ever resided in.

The entryway, if that was the proper term, stretched only a couple of steps before opening up to a large, airy room. In the center of the room was a dining room table with enough sitting room to allow four people to sit comfortably. In the center of the table was a vase and a bowl; the vase was filled with fresh flowers that she had smelled long before she'd found them. The bowl was filled (laughably) with fresh fruit; a small card welcomed them to the hotel and wished them a pleasant stay. She snickered slightly but touched nothing but the flower petals as she strode past the table. Just past the table was an L-shaped couch, a dark red that complemented the lighter colored plush carpeting. Seras slipped off her shoes and let out a content sight as her feet sank into the carpet; silently she continued forward, careful to avoid the small coffee table which was situated in front of the couch. A glance to her right confirmed that there was, in fact, a large flat screen television hanging on the wall across from the couch. There was also a room just to the right which seemed to lead into a bathroom. Despite the dim lighting, she could make out a roomy shower and (were they serious?) a large bathtub and elegant sink and mirror combination.

Looking to the left, just behind the back of the couch, she saw a closed door she assumed was the bedroom. She could only imagine how the room might look; the living room area ended with huge, thick curtains of the same red coloring as the couch; she assumed she'd be offered a beautiful view of Austin once night fell and the city flickered to life. Seras had stayed in many motels and hotels in her life… and this place topped them all, and she hadn't even seen the bedroom.

"A girl could get used to this…" She muttered in amusement as she made her way to the bedroom. Her luggage was found just outside the bedroom doors, both of which she picked up before opening the door and depositing everything just inside. Her jaw dropped as she took in the immense bed, closet and bureau. She wasn't quite sure what sort of a hotel this was, but she was fairly sure she was in heaven.

"Don't get too comfortable, Police Girl." Seras somehow managed to swallow her shriek as she whirled on her Master's shadowy form at the door. "We're to examine the perimeter of the city before we meet with the Chief of Police." Seras couldn't help but twitch as he spoke; his words contradicted the plan she'd already formulated. The last thing she wanted was to spend ANY time with the man who had so invaded her thoughts.

"Listen, Master, I already have plans, and for your information-" She paused as she glanced over at the door where she saw her Master's coat hanging off a hook on the back of the door. Her eyes flickered to the bed, where an innocuous black suitcase was leaning against the bed's frame. Seras paled, an extraordinary feat for the already bloodless vampress, as her knees began to shake.

"M-M-Master… where… where are you staying?" She squeaked. She was not comforted by her Master's chuckle. Nor by the slow, liquid steps he began to take towards her, slamming the door behind him as he came towards her. As though they were incorporated into a dance, their steps matched each other; she stepped away as he moved forward, cat-like, eyes glowing in the dark.

"Isn't it obvious Police Girl?" He purred as he continued his slow approach, forcing Seras to retreat until the back of her legs hit the baseboard of the bed.

"I'm staying…right…here." He said, punctuating his words with slow, measured steps. "Or did I…forget to mention that we are sharing the same room?"

_Quick A/N: You all must understand that I have never, in my life as a writer or fanfic writer, attempted to do a...well, a lemon. I will probably attempt one later in my story, here, but not quite yet. I hope there wasn't anything particularly annoying, and that it was at least worth reading. Ya'll are great; keep up the reviews, eh?_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Hello again, dear readers. I apologize for the wait but writing this one was a WEE BIT difficult, as I've never even come near to broaching this sort of territory before. I hope to have another chapter out sooner than this one (especially since there is no threat of due dates currently weighing me down). So, please, read and enjoy._

"_Or did I forget to mention that we are sharing the same room?"_

No matter how many times her brain repeated her Master's statement Seras could not seem to wrap her mind around it. She felt as though her head was about to violently rocket away from her body, broken voice box shrieking 'DOES NOT COMPUTE' through electronic lips. Not only did this violate the one promise Sir Integra HAD made for her before she had stepped into her coffin (resulting from a rather long, heated conversation that had ended with what Seras had felt to be a solid promise that she would be rooming alone), but it simply wasn't feasible. There was one bed, for Christ's sake! How was she to-

Seras' attention snapped back to the room with the realization that she had taken her attention from her Master and now he was only a few steps away, eyes glittering in the pressing darkness. Another step and he was almost within arm's reach, and hers were not the longest of limbs. Her panic reflexes took over and without an attempt to look behind her, Seras attempted to take another large step backwards…only to remember as she was moving that she had run out of space due to the elaborate wooden baseboard pressed against the back of her knees. Almost absently she cursed he penthouse suite she had been granted; if the bed was devoid of such ornamentation escape would be easy. The extra step sent her toppling over backwards, causing her to sprawl to a landing on the (oh how PLUSH) bed. She was only distracted for a fraction of a second, not even enough time for a human to inhale deep enough to fill their lungs, before she realized her Master had crossed the rest of the distance and was now hovering above her body, leaning over the baseboard, his hands gripping the wood as he bore down on her.

The younger vampire blanched, jolting physically as she began to scuttle backwards, gripping the comforter as she attempted to pull herself from danger's way. She was, perhaps, half an inch from toppling to the floor and crawling her way to freedom when she felt a familiar tingle in the back of her mind. Familiar though it was, Seras tapped into it without even a first thought, instinct engraved in her subconscious to open herself to that feeling. In doing so, her Master's influence invaded her thoughts and her gaze was forced upwards, dragging her eyes up to his and, successfully, trapping her in his hypnotic stare.

The Police Girl froze, limbs no longer responding to her mind's frantic cries; it was as though the control of her body had for the moment been relinquished, and anything beyond the occasional shallow breath (not necessary but comforting, at least, that she still could do that) was now beyond her. Helpless, she watched as he slithered over the baseboard, chuckling all the while as he bore down on her. Though her eyes were capable of penetrating the darkness, to a certain extent, even this ability was impaired by her lack of blood. Her Master's form was recognizable in the velvety darkness; a darker shape against the almost grainy blackness of the room. The fabric of his coat brushed against her legs as he took his sweet time moving over her, inciting an electrifying shiver which spread from the tips of her toes to her scalp. Inwardly, Seras could not help but curse herself; had she kept up with her mental training, practiced as strictly as she had in the beginning, or, hell, if she'd had even a pint of blood in her system…

This was not to say that the entirety of her minded his intrusion. Again she found herself cursing her fickle body as her Master came to rest above her, suspending himself with the palms of his hands and his knees, his sinewy form hovering above her own. She had frozen in a sort of backwards scuttle, arms behind herself and propping her upper body up off the bed, and though her Master hovered above her, his face was mere inches from her own. Tendrils of his hair, long and silky, hung down on either side of face and tickled the delicate skin just beneath her chin and at the crook of her neck. For the second time this day she caught a whiff of cinnamon, encircling them momentarily before fading gently, as though it were nothing more than an afterthought. Even in this particular circumstance, Seras could not help but force in a shallow breath, taking in as much of that smell, that scent, as she could. Since long before her second life as a vampire, cinnamon had always inspired feelings of safety and warmth, happiness and an overall calm which likely stemmed from the memory of baking as a child with her mother. Regardless of where the scent had likely originated (and the possible ramifications of said origin of the smell), Seras could not help but relax, eyes momentarily half-lidded as she took in the smell.

Once the smell of faded, Seras snapped back to attention, dragging her gaze from off in the distance to the present. Their eyes met, her sapphire orbs wide and conflicting in the emotion they revealed, and his crimson ones, amusement dancing clearly in his gaze. Seras' arms shook with the effort to keep herself up, a miniscule fact which, even through this tense moment, she was able to feel dismay and irritation over.

"You still have not been drinking, Police Girl." Alucard purred, breaking through the fog which had settled over Seras' mind during the silent pause.

"M-Master, I-"

"I did not tell you to speak, Police Girl." Though his tone hinted at playful it bordered on anger, as though he were attempting to make light of the situation. A typical reaction, one that Seras was well-accustomed to and not exactly willing to deal with at the moment. The look of fear which had been in her eyes dissipated, replaced by one of her own anger and frustration. Petite hands gripped the comforter tight enough to leave half moon crescents in her palms, even through the thick fabric.

"I'm sick of this, Master! It's one thing after another, and I can't HANDLE you any longer! Get OFF of me, get OFF of the bed, and get OUT of this room!" Her voice had risen steadily until she was shouting into the openly amused face of the elder vampire in the room. In some distant corner of her awareness she was aware that she was essentially committing suicide in shouting at her Master. And though the more intelligent part of her brain begged her to back down, accept whatever punishment (for there was no other explanation for her Master's suddenly predatory-like actions) he had planned, she could not. Though she longed for a brief shower, a change of clothes, and the thorough and silent examination of the murder sites, she knew that this was an option whose likelihood was shrinking fast. No matter whether or not she might be able to return to her original plan, the only surety was that she could not longer stand for this. This cruel, unendurable teasing her Master seemed intent to overwhelm her with.

"And ANOTHER THING-" Seras' fury was abruptly cut off as her Master shot forward and silenced her tirade with his mouth. Her eyes fluttered, all thought wiped instantaneously from her mind; yet another infuriating reaction of her weak body. His lips moved gently against her own, lulling her into a state of complacency that had her slightly less conscious mind furious. A tingle in the back of her mind caused her lips to involuntarily part under a silently given order as Alucard pressed in, deepening a kiss that Seras had yet to react to. Seras, being a somewhat (fairly) inexperienced woman in the ways of being physical with another person, found herself more than a bit flustered, though there were likely other factors inhibiting her ability to react. Her body seemed to have taken control and, despite her anger with her Master for this sudden and completely unwarranted (although not unwelcome) intrusion, she was suddenly experiencing unexplored territory. All at once she was responding, her own lips moving in tandem with the elder vampire above her, thought halting as she gave in to her less reputable inhibitions. Deep in her lower belly was a fire which had never before been lit, and a desire which she had never thought to prepare herself against was now running amok and wreaking havoc on her virginal body. Just as she was beginning to wonder when panicking might be an excellent idea, a sharp, bright pain sparked at her lower lip causing whatever hold her Master had held over her to shatter and she jerked away, bringing her right hand to her mouth.

Confusion danced across her features as she brought her fingers away from her mouth and glanced down at the miniscule drops of blood there.

"I can taste you, Seras." Seras froze, eyes wide and staring unblinkingly down at her bloodied fingers, unable to meet her Master's powerful gaze; coupled with the use of her actual name, her Master's voice was stronger than any gaze could ever have been. His voice was low, almost husky in the darkness, inciting another shudder which spread throughout her entire body.

"I can taste your hunger. Your anger. Your…humanity. Your fear." Seras flushed and drew her gaze up from her lips, anger once more pushing her to speak.

"You have no right, Master-"

"I have EVERY right, Police Girl. Do not think to hide from me your nightmares; so strong is your fear, so palpable is your frustration that your emotions have begun to tinge my own thoughts." Seras blanched, unable to fully comprehend what he was saying.

"I don't…I don't understa-"

"Of course you don't. You refuse, even after so many years, to accept your true nature… and it continues to hold you back in more ways than you realize." Having said what thoughts Seras had been unable to escape, the two vampires lapsed into a momentary silence, allowing the younger to absorb what it was her Master had said. Tears threatened Seras' eyes, causing her to drop her gaze, clenching the comforter even harder than before. Her frame shook, though the tears did not fall; as childish as Alucard might view her to be, she would not allow him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. More importantly, she would not allow him to see the lust which still danced in her belly; a dull ache which begged to be fulfilled as it filled her tiny frame. Clenching her teeth, she focused on her arms, working to break away from her Master's control.

"I will release you, Police Girl…" Seras froze, gritting her teeth as she met her Master's now clearly bored gaze, awaiting the obvious stipulation which seemed to hang unsaid in the air between them. "After you drink from me." Seras' stomach dropped, her jaw following suit as she stared in uncomprehending horror at her Master. For several moments, she was unable to speak, let alone formulate a stable argument as to why she had no intention of doing any such thing.

"Look at me, Police Girl." Again, Seras' head was tilted up through the sheer power of her Master's words, soothingly purred with enough power to easily drag her gaze up from the comforter. She wanted to open her mouth, wanted to speak, wanted to crawl away, wanted to do SOMETHING, and yet, she remained where she was, mesmerized by a look in her Master's eyes that she had never before seen.

"I have seen your fears." His words were soft this time, accentuated by thin, soft tendrils of silky hair as they moved about unbidden, curling around her wrists, stroking her cheek, brushing beneath her chin as though he were attempting to encircle and ease her fears. "And I will not allow you to weaken yourself because of them. You will drink from me. And you will do it now." Seras watched, wide eyed and in awe as her Master brought his gloved hand to his mouth. He moved slowly, deliberately, demanding her attention as he brought his wrist to his mouth. The air in the room had gone nearly stagnant, heavy and pregnant with the same anticipation Seras was now violently trying to deny; dead air surrounding the dead. Seras tensed, fearing he would tear into his wrist at that moment, and was no less relieved as he gripped the glove encasing his hand with his teeth and slowly removed it, releasing his grip on the fabric the moment it cleared his fingertips. With a smirk that lit Seras' belly ablaze, he brought his wrist to his mouth, eyes locked on hers, fangs glinting malevolently in the darkness. He paused and Seras' breath hitched in her chest, her heart making a half-hearted leap in her chest as she watched, mesmerized and no longer able to control herself.

The elder vampire paused, bringing his wrist close enough to brush his lips across the skin there. His tongue flicked out, lightly, teasingly, just barely touching the skin at his wrist…and yet it was enough to incite a fresh wave of heat inducing shivers in the young Police Girl. All thoughts of how wrong this was, of how she had only moments prior loathed this creature, of how she could not stand to ingest even a drop of blood had flown out the window and now, eyes as wide as saucers and lips parted just so, she could not possibly understand how she had felt that way. This was all there was, all there should be, all their could be, and yes, it was right.

His teeth bit into the skin there, tearing away a small chunk without even a flinch. Pulling his arm from his mouth, dark smudges left along his lips and around his mouth, Alucard paused, lips twitching up into a cat-like smirk. Slowly he moved his arm towards Seras, eyes never leaving her own. The silky tendrils of hair which had previously enticed her into this situation had begun their work once more, tickling the skin along her own wrists, lingering at her earlobes and tracing her breasts with a touch light enough to leave Seras gasping for more. She arched her hips up, body having taken over in a primal display of sheer lust and desire. A chuckle drifted from Alucard's mouth, seeming to fill the room as he brought his still dripping wrist to her mouth.

There was no thought, no pause, no…anything. Her hunger had been gnawing, eating away at her for weeks now and already she had gone past the breaking point; Alucard was right, there was no way she could have been allowed out with free roam at the hunger level she was now experiencing.

Seras' free arm flew up, gripping her Master's arm as though to hold him in place, before she latched onto his wrist and began to drink. Her eyelids fluttered and, were she able to disengage her mouth from his wrist, she would have gasped. She'd been drinking blood for years now and never had something so…perfect, so delicious, so sweet, so rich, so amazing passed her lips before. Her hips arched up once again, unbidden, a wave of unadulterated need overwhelming any remaining vestiges of sanity in the young Police Girl. Dimly she was aware of a growling, deep, low in the throat of her Master as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, teeth gently grazing the skin there without breaking through. He lowered himself to lay flush against Seras' form, long hair draping over the two as Seras continued to feed. She mewled softly in response, wriggling against her Master's form as she drank from his wrist, nipping occasionally to keep the flesh from knitting together. Alucard's growling deepened into something resembling a low moan; against her thigh Seras could feel the fairly formidable bulge that indicated her Master's own arousal and she could not help but rub against it, body responding as well as it could. He shuddered above her, though he did not pull away nor did he make any other movement.

Only a scant handful of minutes had passed since Alucard had trapped her in the room, and yet it felt as though time had ceased to have any importance or meaning. The only thing Seras cared about, the only thing she needed, was her Master; how she could ever think otherwise, how she could even think to deny anything he wished or demanded was incomprehensible, nonsensical, insane-

"Enough, Police Girl." Firm but gentle as he pulled his face from the crook of her neck, easing himself back up onto his knees, attempting to pull his arm from Seras' iron grip. When she protested, he responded by granting her another liquefying kiss, nipping her lips and promising more, more-

And then he was gone. Several minutes passed leaving Seras glancing around the room, eyes clouded with a frightening combination of desire, need, and just a hint of bloodlust.

"M-…." The word died on her lips, as a caress, airy and light, traced its' way down from her neck, lingering on her breasts before dissipating, leaving Seras feeling…feeling what? As the realization of what happened began to sink in, the Police Girl froze, eyes wide, hands clenched into fists which drew blood. Blood which dripped onto the comforter, rolling in drops over the palms of her hands.

What the hell had she just done?

_A/N: So, as I mentioned before... I've never written anything like this before. I would love suggestions or thoughts (and especially whether or not I should attempt something like this again, because this was certainly fun but...experimental). Just...be gentle, dear readers. Be gentle. As always, I thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed my fifth chapter._


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: YA! Finally! An update! And I'm sure you were all thinking I'd never update, eh? Well, lucky for you, getting wisdom teeth out and having a cold (not at the same time, thank goodness), seem to be inspirational and, thus, I give you my sixth chapter! I don't feel like this is the best I've written, but considering how long it's been, I feel that if I DON'T post soon, I'll lose interest. In any case, thank you for reading and stickin' with me; hope ya'll enjoy my chapter six! (Also...not sure if I'll be attempting anything similar to my little chapter 5... Too much cheek blushing for not enough positive feedback.)_

Forty-five minutes later Seras was roaming the streets, dressed in a pair of black pressed slacks, a maroon V-neck t-shirt, and a comfortable pair of black tennis shoes. She'd dredged up a baseball cap, black with a brim wide enough to block the majority of the sun from her eyes, and this she now pulled down low over her head, avoiding the occasional heated stares of the jealous and the lascivious twice-overs. With her hands shoved deep in her pockets, Seras hunched her shoulders against the grueling heat of the mid-afternoon sun, hidden now behind a thick veil of black clouds. And while this alone should have convinced the passerby to avoid the surly young woman, this was not the case. Rather the people gravitated towards her, avoiding her unwavering, flat gaze until it seemed as though they would run into her only to steer away at the last possible second, blanching as though surprised they had come so close to a stranger.

Shoving her hands even deeper in her pockets, ducking her head against the fascinated stares of strangers, Seras sped up and glanced down at the folded piece of paper in her hand, considering whether or not it would aide in her desire to be invisible. Though she wished she could avoid the obvious, Seras could no more deny the positive affect her Master's blood had had on her than she could deny the insufferable heat of the hot Texas afternoon. Her eyes flickered up as she considered the distance the clouds, only blips on the horizon an hour or so ago, had traveled in such a short length of time. Though she had never personally visited the sites she had memorized the map from the hotel to the first of the warehouses and this she followed automatically, glancing down to double-check herself with the roughly drawn map on the piece of paper. Knowing the path relatively well, her mind began to drift, returning to the obvious encounter she had just experienced with her Master.

Her cheeks flushed with blood, hot and warm and visible, as she attempted to overlook the obvious and instead focus on the differences she was now experiencing. She was stronger, that much was certain. And faster; faster than she had ever been when ingesting the chilled human blood. Her eyes seemed to catch everything; every twitch of every person and creature she passed, her own footsteps light enough without even an ounce of effort to be silent. All around her people stumbled out of her path, confusion crossing their features only momentarily before they moved on with their routes. Seras had seen herself in the mirror when she had attempted to clean herself up, and she knew now that she had very much attained an entirely new and unusual degree of attractiveness. Her Master's blood had made her skin quite literally glow; it had made her eyes bright and a shade different than their normal blue. And overall, his blood had given her that aura she had seen her Master use so effectively to sway human females… And it seemed that, perhaps due to her gender, she was not limited to any one gender. She felt…new. As though she were no longer Seras Victoria, somewhat resigned resident of Hellsing Manor, but a wholly new creation. A creature that she had wished never to be and had fought against for the majority of her undead life.

And it was this that frightened the Police Girl as she turned the last of the corners and came nearly face to face with the sight of the first murder. For the first time since she left the hotel she allowed her gaze to leave the scrap of paper. Taking a deep, shaking breath, Seras shoved all thoughts of tainted humanity and of a destroyed soul (never mind the lingering fears that she was becoming like the disgusting creatures who had killed her parents, oh goodness no) from her mind, putting all conscious thought to the task at hand. The possible implications drinking from her Master had upon her mind were eased onto the back burner of her thoughts as she strode across the street, ducking beneath the yellow caution tape to stand before the warehouse. Pausing before the enormous monolith of a building, Seras crossed her arms, a frown flitting across her features as she took in the site where Eric Jones had breathed his last breath. Taking in a deep breath she realized that, outside, after what had likely been a massive clean-up effort, she could still smell the boy's blood.

Shuddering with the feeling of something not wholly disgust, Seras opened her eyes and directed her gaze to the dirt ground as she made a slow, careful walk around of the entire building. As she expected, any sort of unique or singular tracks had been scuffed and marred by the police who had not only secured the perimeter, but who had searched for possible weapons around the outside of the building as was noted in the police report. Almost fifteen minutes of slow, careful walking around the warehouse and Seras was back where she started, staring with a mixture of curiosity and fury at not the door, but what evils lay beyond it. Flashes of death, those of the Jones boy and those of her family, seemed to merge seamlessly in her head, leaving her feeling raw and exposed as she slowly reached out towards the door.

Agonizingly slow she opened the sealed door, grimacing at the stereotypical creak of un-greased hinges and snapping the lock before she even realized there had been one. Darkness poured out of the building, causing the Police Girl to shudder and silently gag, turning from the seemingly overwhelming scent of death and blood as her hand involuntarily rose to cover her mouth. After a few nerve-wracking moments Seras straightened, a grimace now permanently etched into her features. As embarrassing as it was, she had to remind herself that she was not only a Hellsing Operative…she was the childe of Alucard, and she could not allow her pity to incapacitate her. It did not take long for her vision to adjust to the darkness and within moments it was as bright inside the warehouse as it was outside.

Something wet plopped unceremoniously onto Seras' forehead and, for one terrifying moment, she thought there had been another murder, that she was standing beneath that dead child right now, listening to their lifeless body swaying in the sudden breeze… But the first drop was followed by another, and another, prompting the Police Girl to raise her gaze to the clouded over sky. A bright light streaked across the sky, followed closely behind by an earsplitting crack of thunder as the sky opened above her, releasing what was the first wave of a torrential downpour. Gasping, she took the last few steps inside the warehouse, frowning as she wiped the rain from her bare arms. The humidity, which had been oppressive outside, became almost sickeningly overwhelming in the warehouse. Unable to restrain herself, she covered her mouth and nose with her left hand, squinting slightly to see through the thick dust of the warehouse. Her eyes searched the wall beside her and, after only a few seconds, she found a thick switch only a few inches from the door.

With barely a flick of her fingers, Seras hit the switch and was surprised when a dim bulb flickered to life some distance above her head, followed shortly by four others adjacent to the first one. Her keen ears caught each and every noise as though she were listening to a symphony; raindrops landing in a myriad of patterns on the distant roof, the popping and creaking of the building around her as the wind attacked it, and the somehow comforting hum of electricity as it flowed through the wires and powered the lights overhead. The vampress shuddered, wrapping her arms around her torso as she forced herself to move forward into the now empty warehouse, eyes wide and aware as she moved.

Though she was not a superstitious creature, neither by nature nor in lifestyle, she could not help but feel as though something were…off. As though there were something or someone still inhabiting the building, despite the fact that her senses stubbornly confirmed what her eyes were telling her; she was very much alone in the building. Her shoes were silent as she made her way towards the center back wall, the furthers one from the light. From her pocket she produced a flashlight; unnecessary, given the strength of her vision, but an act which she felt the boy deserved if she were to fully examine the place he died. All of this she did silently, making as much noise as a ghost as she strode from the synthetic lighting and into the darkness. It was only as she made her way towards a darker spot on the floor that she realized there were windows, raised high from the ground and so dirty even her sharp vision had not caught the light that they offered into the building. She narrowed her gaze momentarily, lips pursed as she reminded herself to take a closer look at the windows from the outside…

_Clatter_. So soft Seras wondered almost instantaneously if she had even heard it. Nevertheless she froze, flashlight out and on, centered on the faint remnants of the bloodstain that the boy's body had made. Gaze narrowing in the darkness, Seras swiveled her attention from one side of the warehouse to the other and, as expected, she saw…nothing.

Despite this, she could not help but stifle her sudden need to escape. Flashes of the nightmare she'd experienced on the plane replayed in her mind, filling her with the same arcane fear she'd had whilst asleep. After a few seconds had passed with nothing but the consistent sounds of the rain pattering atop the roof, Seras shook her head, attesting the strange noise to her already frayed nerves, and returned her attention to the roughly circular shape that represented the pool of blood which had gathered beneath Eric's body. She knelt, crouching at the edge of the circle, flashlight aimed at the edge she was peering at. Moving slowly, she stood and walked the length of the circle, noting with a vague sense of curiosity, that there was a small trail of blood leading away from the circle, drops varying in size and frequency. This suggested, to her at least, that the child had been injured before being brought to the place he was crucified. As she began to follow the drops, hoping to determine whether or not he had been injured within the warehouse, she heard that same noise, as though a piece of wood had been dropped to the cemented floor.

The vampress froze, teeth bared in a vulgar snarl, proverbial hackles raised in defense as she once again searched for the origin of the noise.

"Is someone there?" Rough, clipped and irritated, her voice only hinted at the fear and anxiety she was now experiencing within the poorly lit warehouse. Her sharp eyes combed the expansive building, narrowly slightly as she spotted nothing out of the ordinary on her initial sweep. With a shudder she returned to her examination, lowering herself to her haunches in order to get a better view of the now faded ring of blood. Absently she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, tilting her head in curiosity as she followed a minute trail of something that _looked _like blood…but was not. She was not completely sure what it was; the stain was long past dry, the color blending nearly perfectly with the bloodstain. Combined with the still pungent scent of blood, it was difficult to isolate the unique scent that surrounded that little tiny stain. She reached out, fingertips ungloved as she made to touch the stain-

'Seras.'

The Police Girl blanched, jolting violently back from the stain and landing somewhat unceremoniously on her ass. She froze then, eyes wide and confused. There had been no mistaking it; someone had spoken her name. Unfortunately, whoever had spoken her name had not spoken it aloud.

'I know you can hear me, Seras Victoria.'

Like satin the voice eased over her, enveloping her in a warm, soothing embrace. She shivered, unable to wrap her arms around herself as she used them to support her upper body. No, there was no mistaking it. Somebody was inside her head.

"Get out of my head." She said aloud, not wishing to give whoever had invaded her mind the satisfaction of speaking mentally. "I don't know who you are and, frankly, I don't give a damn. If you wish to speak to me…speak to me in person!" Her words ended with a heat she could not have dampened even if she had tried. There was silence for a moment, and after a few seconds she began to shift back to her haunches, moving to stand… and then she was falling, tugged backwards and down, through the now nonexistent floor as she left her physical body far behind, crumpled to a heap on the concrete floor. It felt as though a great, frozen meat hook had latched onto some part of her that was both physical and intangible, catching hold of her and dragging her with such force that there was no hope of fighting back. She watched as her body crumbled to the concrete floor, her eyes wide and unseeing, before she was beyond her body. Though she tried to mentally scream for her Master, she could not even hear her own thoughts as she was sucked down through a blackness she had never before experienced. It was suffocating, really, impossing with such a weight upon her mind that, for longer than a while, she could not remember who she was. She could not remember where she was, nor what she was doing, nor the importance of what was currently happening.

Her prior thoughts, ranging from the menial to the urgent, seemed to dissipate as her mind sank into this blackness with the same ease with which she had been torn from her body. Though some deeper aspect of her subconscious begged her to listen, and though that vampiric aspect of her mind screamed at her to fight against it… she could do no more than float down and away. Down and down and down, drifting towards whatever faceless creature had ripped her from her solid state of mind.

After some indeterminable amount of time had passed, she found that, through a dark veil, she could see light. And after a moment of thick, difficult thought, she realized that her eyelids were closed. Though she could not quite understand how she could have eyes, let alone eyelids, when she did not have a physical body, this thought too was carried away on a wave of ambivalence. With more strength than she thought was possible, she forced her eyes to open, only to be greeted with a blurry facsimile of the world around herself.

Quite suddenly, a face occupied her field of vision. Blurred and unfocused though it was, it was impossible not to recognize it as one; the atypical shape of a face, complete with two eyes, a nose and a mouth were enough for her mind to lock onto the shape as being a face. She was incapable of turning her head, nor could she better focus her gaze to look upon her would be mind thief.

"Is this better, Seras Victoria?" Though they spoke softly, it was clear that the speaker was male. She felt a pressure against her cheek and realized that he was touching her, stroking the skin there gently, as one might with a lover. Again, the concept of her body seemed a strange one; though she could feel him touching her, it was not the same as flesh touching flesh. Still she could not fully see him, nor could she speak or formulate any sort of coherent thought. The pressure left her face as did the shapeless features of the creature, for she could not truly be certain that it was anything human. A sharp grinding noise brought back the dim memory of movement and, shortly thereafter, the face reappeared in front hers, now some distance from her.

"I'm sure you're finding it difficult to do much in this state, hm…? No matter. I simply…wished to look upon you. It will not be long, my dear, before the wheels are truly, truly in motion and action will be taken." The words were words, of this Seras was certain, though as to their meaning and intent she could come nowhere near to grasping.

"Yes…not long at all. You will not remember this, Seras Victoria. No… At least, not until we are all ready." A soft noise, laughter of a sorts, escaped the male creature before her. Once again she felt that pressure on her face, except this time it was at her temples, equal pressure at either side. The face was closer now, and she could detect the slightest hint of movement which might have been the creature's eyes.

"I must apologize for what I am about to do. This will hurt; there is no way around it. But it is the only way. It must be done, Seras…My Seras." The pressure increased, breaking through the wall of numbed apathy to spark a hint of something. And still it continued until the sound of skin breaking, minute though it was, began to echo violently in her ears. And still it went on, and now the pain was something tangible, something she could feel entering not her body but her mind, red-hot and everlasting. She wanted to open her mouth, to shriek, to beg for mercy, to threaten, to do what she must to make the pain, oh the excruciating PAIN stop. It was as though every fiber of her being were each being burned and stabbed and sliced and cut-

"It must be done."

OoOoOoOoOoO

For several seconds Seras Victoria remained where she had fallen over, blinking up at the dark ceiling of the warehouse in light-heartened confusion. She remained where she was, uncomfortable though it became, because she could not quite remember what she was doing. Huffing in irritation, the Police Girl pulled herself up into the crouching position she had previously been in, blinking away the haze which had settled over her eyes. She frowned, looking down at the dried blood pool before her; not only did she now see nothing out of the norm with the stain, but she no longer remembered why it was she had hunkered down before it. In an attempt to recall her memories, she gazed over the spot intensely, eyes straining in the low-level lighting to catch even a glimpse of whatever had pulled her to the floor.

Nothing.

When it became certain that whatever it was had likely been a trick of her imagination she stood, running a hand through her hair in agitation. Her legs ached, as though she had been lying in that position for longer than a few seconds. She felt…on edge. As though she needed to be on guard against something. Thoughtfully she nibbled at her lower lip, worrying the skin almost to the breaking point; she was aware of something like a dull ache deep within her skull. Not quite a headache, but certainly working its' way towards one.

It was the first headache she could remember experiencing since she had been turned.

Feeling sick now, Seras turned and exited the warehouse and was delighted to find that the heavy downpour was now a light drizzle, dewing on her skin and in her hair. She glanced down at her watch and jolted in shock; she was now left with a little less than an hour to return to her hotel room, shower and clean up, and make it to meeting with the chief of police. Seras groaned, rolling her eyes heavenward as though asking why it had to be her, before heading back to the hotel at a light, steady jog.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It did not take long to make it back to her hotel room, though she was somewhat loathe to admit that it took several minutes of silent pep talks and curious looks from bystanders before she was able to fumble the key from her pocket and make her way silently, tentatively into the suite.

Luckily the suite was as empty as she had left it and, feeling far more relaxed, she hopped in the shower in an attempt to tame her unruly mane and dressed quickly. It had taken some agonizing time to decide on something which would not hinder the more thorough examination of the sites but that would not appear distasteful or too plain, as she had explicit unspoken instructions to…refrain from misrepresenting Sir Integra. So it was that she had chosen a knee-length black pencil skirt with a discreet slit up the leg to allow better stair access, and an off-white blouse with black stitching around the neck and sleeves. Over the blouse she wore a black coat that matched the pencil skirt; it came in sharply at her hips and flared out from there, ending just past her hips. A set of black panty-hose completed the entire ensemble and left her looking business casual. Absently she buttoned the overcoat over her sizeable bosom with only a hint of effort; inwardly she made a note to thank Walter for having her fitted for the suit. Overall it was a simple outfit, one she completed by pulling her hair back into a low ponytail to keep it from overtaking her vision as it had earlier. With a light swipe of mascara and just the barest hint of lipstick Seras was ready. Her right hand dipped automatically to check her inner thigh holster as her left reached back to check the holster hidden at her side…Only to find herself grasping at nothing.

A rueful, pained smile crossed her features; why hadn't she thought ahead and removed her luggage from the bedroom earlier? The thought of entering the room now was enough to leave her shaking with some unrecognizable feeling; the last thing she wanted, however was to analyze it. Rather than dwell on it, Seras crossed the distance from the bathroom to the bedroom in a few robotic strides, eyes wary as she moved. Silly though it may be, she could not help but hesitate at the door to the bedroom, hand hovering above the handle as she steeled her nerves before entering the room. Nevertheless several moments of hand clenching, teeth grinding, and foot fidgeting later she managed to enter the room, unable even as she sensed the emptiness of the suite to keep from jumping when the door slammed against the wall.

With little thought her weapons and holsters were obtained and she exited the room, moving faster than any human as she flew from the room, slamming the door behind her. She paused for a moment, closing her eyes as she leaned against the wooden door; she was trying desperately not to dwell on the heavy scent of her Master still lingering in the room. It would hopefully be several hours before she was forced back into that bloody room again…

She shuddered as she replayed the wording of her last mental statement. She wasn't quite sure whether or not it was out of fear or… something else. After allowing herself a few moments to gather her thoughts, she exited the suite and made her way to the room her fellow officers were occupying. Rapping twice, rapidly, on the door she took a wide step back and waited, teetering back and forth on the balls of her feet as she waited patiently for the grumbling, yawning men (she could hear them quite clearly from her vantage point in the hallway) to prepare themselves. They, too, were expected to sit through the meeting and it was Seras' job to ensure that they made it there. This particular responsibility fell on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone, because she had been the only one entrusted with the information. Though her Master had easy and complete access to her thoughts, and thus was likely already where they were supposed to meet the chief of police, it had made her feel…important in some curious way. A few more moments passed, and before long the three men were standing before her looking carefully dressed and relatively rested. They gave her an appreciative once-over and she did her best to ignore it; they were typically the most polite of the Hellsing Operatives and, really, it wasn't their fault that she was quite literally glowing this evening. Clearing her throat she forced their attention up from her bosom to her face, offering up an exaggerated eye roll in response to their goofy grins.

"Alright, boys. The chief of police has requested that we meet at a small café a few blocks from here before we visit the crime scenes; probably to be sure you all are plenty caffeinated." A crooked smile crossed her lips as she surveyed the still sleepy-eyed operatives. They murmured their affirmations and now seemingly escorted by three strapping young men, Seras made her way to the elevator.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Ignoring the somewhat vitriolic glares of several young women, all of whom were ignored by the young men whose gaze seemed to slide past the night life stalkers without even a prolonged once-over. Overall, a bit of a self-esteem boost, but irritating in the sense that Seras did not typically enjoy having all of the attention.

Otherwise, the somewhat winding route to the café was far less than eventful and a somewhat longer walk than previously believed. By the time they arrived at the somewhat unoriginal Café, Seras was feeling quite a bit more relaxed than earlier in the afternoon. Jokes and laughter had passed amongst the quartet along the twenty minute languid walk, and it had eased the Police Girl into a sense of relaxation that she had not yet achieved on her own. Though they were a minute (exactly sixty seconds late on the dot), Seras could feel the icy waves of her Master's disapproval before they had even entered the dimly lit establishment. Saying nary a word, eyes rolling up in a silent prayer, Seras made her way towards those same waves of negativity, unsurprised to see her Master's bright red ensemble had been momentarily replaced with the same suit she had seen earlier.

Seras forced a smile to her lips, ignoring her Master's icy, suspicious glare as she approached the table, somewhat surprised to see that the Chief of Police had taken a seat with his back to the rest of the small restaurant; even as a regular militant she had always sat with her back against the wall. Already her mind was whipping through all of the smart ass things she could do to ensure that he would never keep his back to the crowd... And as they drew closer to the table, the Chief turned, an easy smile on a slightly worn face-

And Seras froze, eyes wide and shock overwhelming her ability to function. Her comrades bumped into her back, knocking her forward and towards the wide eyed man seated before her. For several moments they stared at each other; Seras' breath, though unnecessary, was caught in her throat. Jaw working, Seras finally managed to speak through numbed lips.

"…Alex?"

_A/N: Thanks to those who have been following my story, and a GIANT bow of gratitude to those who have continued to review. It was actually a review that prodded me back into action this evenin'...er...morning. In any case, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is always welcome. Thankee Big Big, Sai!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Well hello there! I guess it's been...a lot longer than I prefer when writing something... But life has been rough and inspiration has been little these past few months. Still, I'm fond of this story and I'm not quite ready to give up on it. I would also like to thank everyone who reviewed my past chapter; thank you for the continuing support and know that this chapter was written for you, and because of you. Not my best chapter here, but I hope it's alright until I can create the next one._

"…Alex?"

Though the tiny café was far from empty, it felt as though the world had all but stopped around her. Not even her Master's steadily darkening gaze and that oh-so-familiar pressure inside her head could penetrate the thick film of shock which had officially arrested her mind.

"Seras…? Seras Victoria…?" It was his voice which seemed to fix time, shattering the curious illusion that the world had frozen. His voice…

Seras began to smile, features lighting up as the gesture stretched across her lips and face.

His voice was the same. It had roughened over the years, the still smoldering cigarette held between his fingers likely the culprit, yet it still held that velvety tone which had so captivated her when first they'd met. Age lines touched his face ever so gently just beneath his eyes, giving the appearance that he had gone far too long without a good night's sleep. His eyes, too, carried this weight. Heavy and darker than she remembered, they seemed to sit further back in his skull, as though his skin were drawn from worry or exhaustion. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Seras was aware that these were minute things, aspects of a human which often went unnoticed… But because her every sense had been heightened by the introduction of blood (not to mention the fact that it was her Master's), she could see every dip, every wrinkle, every…everything.

'_You're being __**rude**__, Police Girl.' _ Seras flinched visibly, eyes closing briefly at the distinctly icy tone in her Master's warning, no more able to ignore his piercing glare than she could pass off the somewhat painful and constant pressure in her mind. It did not register to her that the voice she had heard had been…dimmed somewhat. As though she had been hearing him through a tunnel or as though he had been muffled with cotton. Nor did she notice her Master's gaze growing darker and his eyes narrowing. Her gaze flickered down, catching Alex's own for a split second before they met the floor. Her hands had tightened into fists without her realizing it and for several seconds she was unable to speak or move; knowing only that Seras had some prior existing relationship with the apparent chief of police, her Master was angry. At what, she couldn't even possibly comprehend; it was not as though she had known beforehand that this was the case. How _could _she have known? She'd heard through the grapevine after he'd left the academy that he was off to the states, and that Texas had been one of several possible locations he might settle in. But beyond that, she'd known nothing of where he'd gone.

Not only was her Master angry with her… But he had chosen to embarrass her before Alex, as though to add insult to injury.

Having finally reached this conclusion after only a few short seconds of deliberation her head snapped up, face calm and collected despite the fury present in her own gaze. The men behind her subconsciously took a step back as she locked her gaze briefly with Alucard; the tension was thick and it seemed strikingly apparent that violence would have to be the result of such animosity the two seemed to have for each other. However, Seras quickly dropped her gaze back to a somewhat surprised looking Alex, her look softening to one of happy familiarity as she dipped her head gently and took the seat to the left of him, her back placed firmly against the wall there.

"Alex Chechki… I must say that this is quite the surprise." She offered a small smile, now ignoring the irritated stare of her Master. "I knew you'd moved to the States, but I never thought YOU'D make Chief of Police; I didn't think you had the brains for that." Silence spread across the table; the three men she'd brought with her from the hotel had remained standing, shifting only slightly in what could only be nervousness at hearing Seras speak in such a manner to someone of such standing in the city. The silence, however, was quickly broken as Alex tossed his head back and laughed, the noise shocking some of the nearby patrons into spilling some of their drinks.

"Always with the mouth, Seras! I could say the same of you; I figured you'd have dropped out of the Academy once I left. You always were…so clumsy." His tone was reminiscent as he gave her a look she was so familiar with, one which further accented the teasing quality his tone had taken on. She snorted slightly, rolling her eyes as she sat further from the table, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well excuse me if I had a little bit of a clumsy streak… Though…as I recall… it's difficult to hold your footing when your 'partner' is constantly throwing things in your way…such as their own fat feet…" For a moment the two glared at each other, Seras puckering her lips in an angry glare… Before they both gave way to laughing, Seras leaning over and clutching at her stomach as she snickered as quietly as she could.

"My god, Alex! It's so good to see you again!"

"Ahhhhh I would certainly have to agree…. Though I certainly wish it was under better circumstances…" His voice had changed from joyous to contemplative to sorrow-filled before silence once again overtook the group.

"Indeed." Alucard's deep baritone interjected, drawling in such a way as to draw a soft sigh from Seras. Though she realized her Master was correct, to a certain extent, in his irritation it was impossible for Seras to say that she was not happy with this sudden turn of events. For the first time since her nightmares had begun, she felt as though there might be a way for her to…relax. To possibly open herself up to someone who would understand, who might actually give a damn about her sanity.

For the moment, however, there were more important things at hand.

As though he could read her thoughts, Alex's lax posture straightened and his eyes hardened; Seras likened the change to slipping into a suit. He became the Chief of Police they had flown all the way to work with. He nodded curtly and slipped a tiny smile Seras' way.

"Most assuredly; catching up can come later." Punctuated with that same heart-stopping smile, Seras could not help but feel…excited. He had all but stated that they would find time to talk and it was reassuring to the fraying nerves of the Police Girl. Not once did it occur to her that he may not be aware of her current…situation, so to speak. Having just fed, Seras looked no more unusual or different from any other human in the small café; she appeared to have forgotten the attained luster which had more than garnered her share of attention from the greater majority of Austin's populous.

The air turned somber around the small group, a heavy silence overcoming even the neighboring tables as the group finally got down to business.

"Before we could have made such a large trip, we needed to go through the files and the photos to first create our own opinion on what is currently occurring here." Seras began, straightening as she removed the now worn file folder she had been given and set it on the table in front of her. Alex's face drew up into something like a snarl before he calmed, wiping his hand down his face. Seras' eyes softened ever so slightly but she said nothing for a moment, simply allowing him to gather himself; she was well aware of how difficult this entire case had been on the city, and she was more than aware of just how much pressure was currently riding on the Chief.

"And, as is obvious by our appearance, we have deemed this threat to be of a less…human nature." Alex laughed roughly and crushed out his cigarette as Seras spoke. He steepled his fingers in front of his face, letting out a soft sigh before speaking.

"Let's just…drop any semblance of REALITY, okay? You two are here because our town is being besieged by what I have been told is likely a group of… of vampires or other such previously disproved supernatural creatures." He shook his head. "We've always imagined that there were things that lingered in the night, that sought out the weaker creatures of the world… I guess we've always just…inherently known, eh?" Seras winced internally, offering up her own tiny sigh and a nod.

"I suppose you're right; there isn't really any use to try and sugarcoat it." Her Master snorted, unfolding and refolding his long legs beneath the table.

"All of this talking is wasting time. The scenes have been sitting around for days and days now and every second we waste with…formalities-" Seras resisted the urge to offer up a retort; Alucard was clearly displeased with the current situation. It was not exactly his ideal of handling things. His words dripped with sarcasm and heavy irritation, an embarrassment which caused heat to rise to Seras' face. "Is another second that these pathetic creatures scheme to kill more of your civilians."

"Ma-…Alucard is correct, Alex. The sooner we get out to look at the sites, the better. Any sort of trail we might have picked up from the earlier ones are likely already degraded. We should start at the most recent of scenes." Alex nodded, pushing himself back from the table and making to stand.

"The most recent of the sites is only a few blocks from here… I suppose that was a part of the reason that I requested we meet here." Seras nodded and stood as well, sidling around the table and avoiding all possible contact with her Master as she did so.

'_You cannot _avoid _me, Police Girl….' _Her Master's voice growled through her mind, his gaze piercing through her back and causing her to pause mid-step, shivering and feeling as though she had just been doused in ice water. She turned, some sharp retort on the tip of her tongue, only to find that her Master was gone, likely off to beat them to the crime scene. Again Seras felt her hands involuntarily clench and the dull ache in the back of her head throbbed. A frown creased it's way through her features as she wound through the couples sitting at the surrounding tables. The pain in her head had faded just as quickly as it had occurred, though the dull ache remained. Though she thought it curious, she knew that she could not bring herself to discuss it with her Master… especially not with what had….occurred…

"Seras…?" Seras snapped back to the present, a light flush tinting her cheeks in a combination of embarrassment and something she wasn't willing to truly look into. Alex had stopped, her men standing just outside of the café, waiting patiently for them to emerge.

"Y-Yes! Sorry; guess I got caught up in my thoughts-" Before even her thought was finished, Alex had cleared the small distance between them and had wrapped his arms around her. Seras froze, shock and confusion mingling with happiness and a myriad of other emotions; he was so warm.

"It IS good to see you again, Victoria. I just wish it was under better circumstances." With that, he released her and exited the café, leaving Seras dazed and slightly stunned as she followed suit.

OoOoOoOoO

Within fifteen minutes the group had arrived at the most recent of the crime scenes; the mood was solemn and though conversation had been attempted when initially they had set forth it had fizzled out and died as they had left the warmth of the café. The scene they were visiting now was that of Sam, or Sammy as his friends and family affectionately called him, Elleneway. Much like Eric, Sam had been murdered in a horrific, gruesome and painful manner; the report had stated that they'd found intestinal lining a few blocks from where his actual body had been found. Though Sears could never go so far to consider Eric "lucky" in the way he had been killed, she could certainly say that at least he had not been used as a toy. The photos of Sammy showed his limbs severed, flung about what had at the time been an unoccupied office building, leaving only a foot in an easy to discover location. The blood had been bad…but finding his head in the back of a toilet and his heart impaled on a hat rack had gone beyond the horrific nature of the crime. It had been like playing some macabre version of hide-and-go-seek with offensive and vulgar comments written in his blood spattered along the way.

"Alright… just duck underneath the tape and I'll unlock the door." Came Alex's murmured comment from just ahead of her, snapping Seras' mind from the morbid thoughts she'd been holding on to. She nodded and ducked under the tape just beside him; the men had walked just behind her for the entire walk and even now they stood a few feet from her back. They had remained fairly quiet throughout the walk and Seras wondered if they were contemplating the same things she was…with a special emphasis on finding and destroying the bastards who could do such harm. She could only focus on the relief that they were not checking out the site of the girl's murder; truthfully, she wasn't sure if she could handle it in the right frame of mind.

"Once we're inside I can show you where the…body parts were found. We've studied each area carefully; pretty sure we've garnered all we can, though that's not to say we haven't missed something." Seras nodded, not exactly trusting herself to speak for such anger she was experiencing-

'_Get a grip, Police Girl. It just gets worse from here.' _Her Master's voice filled her head, and though his words were meant to be both encouraging and demeaning, even Seras could sense his own icy irritation. Though her Master was not necessarily…fond of humans, even he could not ignore the stupidity and uselessness of slaughtering children when one of their type was supposed to be beyond such frivolous, pointless activities. It created unwanted and unnecessary attention to a race that was not even supposed to exist.

Seras nodded, seemingly to nobody, before following Alex into the office complex, wondering almost absently if ever this particular company would ever be put back into operation.

The moment they entered the building all other thought was abolished. The scent of blood, amplified and intensified by the affect her Master's blood had had on her, coupled with the very strong and still very present scent of sex sent her reeling. Almost instantly she was presented with the image of these creatures slaughtering this boy, hiding his body and tearing him apart…amidst the even more gruesome and disgusting sight of some sort of orgy, each of the creatures drowning themselves in blood; some of it he boy's, some of it their own…

'_Calm, Seras. Calm.'_

Her Master's voice, usually so derisive and irritated, floated into her mind with a gentility that surprised her. It occurred to Seras then that Alucard was more than a little aware of the effect his blood was having on her usually empty body. Along with his words came a brief whiff of cinnamon and a sense of sheer calm which oozed its' way thoroughly through her body. Seras didn't even realize that he had used her name, so shocking had his actions been.

"Agent Victoria…? Seras? Seras are you-?"

"Yes… Yes, Alex, I'm fine. I can just…" She shook her head, unwilling to explain everything she had just experienced within the supposed sanctity of her own mind. She offered a grim smile, unable to do any more to reassure her old friend as he shared a look that was filled with worry. Slowly he nodded, glancing behind her to the trio who had just entered behind her. They, too, appeared slightly ill. Seras turned, eyes softening slightly as she glanced at them.

"Chris… Dean… Ben…" They trained their attention back towards her as she said each of their names in turn. "Spread out; one of your cover the outer perimeter, one of you take this floor, one of you take the second floor. You know what we're looking for." Their expressions hardened and they stood up straighter; they, like many of the men in the Hellsing Organization, handled these circumstances best when they had been issued their orders. She, too, felt a little stronger, a little more stable. They were there for a reason, a purpose. These…these creatures, for she could no more consider these murderers to be human, nor vampiric, in nature than she could pretend that these "sacrifices" were being done for a logical purpose, had to be stopped. Alex said nothing during this exchange and waited, patiently, for her to conclude before leading her to the stairs. She had assigned them to cover the base of the building and the second floor, but that still left the third floor and the roof. Having thoroughly read through the report, Seras was aware that it was on the third floor that they had…gotten creative. The third floor was where the boy's head had been found in the back of the toilet; his features had been manually contorted into a look of disturbing surprise, eyes wide open, mouth forced into an open-mouthed smile… and to make the entire matter worse, they had covered his face in face paint, turning him into a clown, complete with tears drawn near his eyes. They had, of course, covered the entire bathroom in various gang signs (having done nearly no research, each of the signs had been from random parts of the states, many of them warring factions) and threats to the police and city of Austin.

Clearly, a display for the frustrated and harrowed Captain. The roof had been an exaggerated display similar to that found in the bathroom, with the addition of shredded organs and seemingly buckets of blood. Seras had, when first reading the report, found her thoughts confirmed when the coroner found that some of the blood samples had come from animal sources. Again, severe exaggerations which suggested the sheer juvenile nature of the monsters who had done this. The other two floors, though disgusting, were not as likely to contain the bits and pieces of the puzzle that Seras was looking for. And as they climbed, it was the details she focused on. She'd read through each file so many times she had thought she'd grasped every aspect of the scenes… but she had not realized that the steps would creak as they walked up them. That the dust hung so thick in the air that sometimes she could barely see despite the dim lighting that filtered through the window. Even the solid cone of light coming from Alex's flashlight could not truly cut through the dim atmosphere the building had adopted over its' vacancy.

It was not until they reached the landing of the second floor that Seras realized she was light-headed. She froze momentarily, pretending to look at a speck on the floor as she fought against her panic. The light pounding she thought she'd imagined earlier had returned with a ferocity that frightened the young vampress. She had, without realizing it, placed up a mental block against her Master. She was dizzy; her head seemed to be filled with thick cotton and was that…? Yes, nausea had settled into her belly, deep and barely recognizable… But still there. Before enough time had passed for her actions to seem suspicious Seras stood, nodded as though she had reached some conclusion, and moved towards the stairs.

"May I…speak with you, _Agent _Victoria?" Seras froze, hairs standing on end as she realized her Master had seemingly materialized from the wall beside her. Alex stood on the stairs, blinking as though in slight surprise, before he half turned away from them, making to leave them for a moment of privacy.

"Perhaps later, Ma…. Sir. Daylight is fading, as is any evidence… We need to finish securing the site before nightfall." Seras' voice, though wavering slightly, was firm and she said nothing more as she turned from her Master's cold gaze and headed up the stairs staggered with Alex so that they would not overcrowd the somewhat cramped staircase. To a certain extent…what she had said was true. She wanted to secure the scene as quickly as possible so that any clues which could be gleaned or found would be before time had the opportunity to evaporate with time. However… More importantly… Seras was still feeling a wide variety of confliction over what had occurred a few hours prior. She needed a little time with her own mind before she could handle a one on one with her Master… Not to mention the fact that he could likely sense the issues she was currently having with her body. And considering that she had no idea what was causing her physical ailments, she was not entirely willing to discuss them. Not a word was spoken between Alex and herself, but the understanding between the two remained; they were both on a mission and, at the moment, there was no room for pleasantries. It did not stop him from sneaking an appreciative glance at the Police Girl when she appeared focused on the staircase.

Despite this, Seras could not help but feel the now icy presence of her Master in her mind. He was royally pissed, to say the least, and she was not looking forward to their later discussion.

OoOoOoOoO

The third floor was, if Seras was not mistaken, dimmer than the previous two. The light filtered weakly through a layer of dust in the air so thick that it seemed to inhibit their walking. Seras' nose wrinkled in disgust and her sleeved arm came up to cover her nose; though she'd tried to ignore the intense scent of blood littered throughout the building, it had increased at least tenfold when she'd stepped onto this floor. Though she'd just fed she was forced to admit to herself that, deep down, it excited her. Of course, she felt no need nor desire to tear into Alex or any other human nearby…but she could not help but be sickened as she reflected the creature she had become. From out of the corner of her eye she noticed Alex gazing at her, a mixture of curiosity and apprehension flickering in his gaze.

Seras sighed and, after a moment of inhaling the familiar scent of her laundry detergent still present in her coat, she removed her arm and gestured with a tiny smile for Alex to lead the way. He offered her a tiny smile of understanding before leading her the way down the hallway. The hallway twisted left, right, left again; doors lined the walls on either side. Some had name plates, others were embellished with only numbers and Seras glanced at each in turn with little care or desire to focus on them. She forced her mind to focus away from her steadily pounding headache as they approached the quarantined men's lavatories.

"You gonna be okay there, Seras?" Alex's voice was soft in the dim hallway; Seras could feel his eyes, his gaze on her, such was his intensity. He did not speak as the Chief of Police, a hardened man, should speak to another hardened officer of the law. Rather, he spoke with the gentle care of a long lost but never forgotten friendship. Seras smiled a tiny half smile and gave a nod, not willing to speak lest her Master use her words against her later. After a short moment Alex stepped forward and removed the CAUTION tape which had prevented any further entrance to the restrooms.

"I will warn you…after realizing the extent that it seemed these murderers were willing to go to… We did not touch much of this particular scene. We removed…the head, of course, but the majority of the blood and any other physical evidence still remains. We reached out to the Hellsing Organization shortly after…and they told us not to touch or remove anything." This made sense, of course. Considering who it was they would be sending into investigate. Again, Seras did nothing more than nod as they stepped into the restroom… and felt as though she had been hit with a ton of bricks. She staggered back a step or two, eyes rolling up to show the whites, as the scent of blood overwhelmed her. Not for months, since the last raid she had performed with her men at a notorious vampire den, had she smelt so much blood. Vaguely her eyes registered the crudely drawn gang signs scrawled on nearly every surface in the restroom, including even the sinks and the urinals. Dried blood seemed to have been sporadically spread here; flecks appeared on the ceiling, in the sinks, and in large splotches on the floor. Ridiculous threats against the citizens of Austin and against the police department could be made out, mixed within phrases of simple Latin and scribbles. These she managed to file away for later use, seeing nothing entirely unique or inventive in any of it.

She gagged, covering her face as she forced herself back down from the combination high and sickness she'd just experienced. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware that this overwhelming sensation was occurring (as so many things seemed to be) because of her recent intake of her Master's blood; the heightened senses had initially been a godsend…but now she wasn't exactly feeling like a respectable member of the law. She felt heat rise to her cheeks as she wondered how long she would be able to withstand the pressures of this particular slice of hell. Unlike the last time, her Master's presence was very much missing in a way which left her feeling cold and empty. She supposed that this was deserved, considering that he may have well wanted to discuss this new hurdle of hers… or he may have wanted to discuss her headache or, worse, her nausea. Acknowledging finally that she was one her own, Seras forced her gaze to focus and was attempting to reign in both her hunger and her disgust when she felt a warmth on her shoulder. It was then that she realized she had hunched herself over slightly, arms twitching against wrapping around her belly in a self-defense sort of stance. Her eyes flicked away, up from the filthy floor to meet Alex's worried gaze.

"Victoria? Hey, Seras are you alright?" His voice was soft, low, intense without being overbearing. She swayed for a moment, taking several seconds to swallow thickly (a vain attempt to remove some of the disgusting taste from within her mouth) before she could even begin to create a response.

"Y-Yes… I'll be fine I just… I need a moment." Her voice was soft; it was difficult for her to speak, to force her vocal chords into action. His hand remained at her shoulder, his eyes upon hers, as she stood there.

Her heart, nearly dead in her chest, ached to see such care and she had to force away the tears which threatened to fall. Walter was just like that, albeit in a more…refined sense. Not once did Alex's hand leave her shoulder, nor did his eyes leave her face, as she gathered herself back up. And after a few minutes, which felt more like a few hours, she was able to stand.

"Oi! Integera told us you were a little more on the sensitive side than your partner, but I didn't remember you being such a softie! Didn't they teach you how to be tough?" He chuckled and patted her back good-naturedly, attempting to lighten the mood despite the utterly dismal atmosphere they currently found themselves in. Seras' head jerked up, whipping back with enough force to send any regular human flying backwards, eyes wide and filled with a wide variety of emotions as she replayed what he'd just said. Partner. He'd called Alucard her _partner_. Not once in the years upon years that she had been with the Hellsing Organization had anyone referred to Alucard as her partner; that was simply not their relationship. Anyone who knew not only who they were but WHAT they were understood that their relationship was not so easily or acceptably defined.

"Speaking of which, that guy seems pretty eh… well, I don't mean to be offensive, but he's a little strange. Seems to be pretty sneaky, too; I didn't even notice him enter the building, let alone climb up all those stairs without us noticing…" His voice had taken on a musing sort of tone, as though he were pondering how he might have snuck past them; Seras had to stop herself as an insane sort of giggle attempted to bubble up from her depths. All at once she felt like crying and screaming and punching something in the face.

Quite suddenly she had realized something rather shocking: Integra had not told him what they were. For whatever insane, convoluted reasoning her superior might have used to withhold this information from the man with whom they would be working intimately, Seras could not fathom why she would not be told or warned about this. Perhaps _this _was what her Master had wanted to speak with her about…what he wanted to warn her of. A brief shake of her head brought her back to the moment; she could not assume anything, one way or the other. To do so could cause something horrific to happen. She needed to figure out what, exactly, Alex had been told by Sir Integra. During these brief moments of thought, Alex had made his way over to the stalls and was standing in the middle of the three, hesitating to remove the crime scene tape which held the door shut. Seras took in a deep, calming breath before approaching him.

"Alex… I need to ask you something, before I look at the scene." He turned to her, straightened and nodded in silence, awaiting whatever it was she needed to say.

"Alex, what did Sir Integra tell you about us? About the unit she would be sending here to assist in the investigation?" It was difficult to keep her voice level and even as she spoke, but somehow she managed to stay calm.

"Ehhh? She told us she'd be sending a specialized unit; one who dealt with these sorts of murders and investigations on a more regular basis." He pursed his lips slightly, bringing his and up to his chin in a look of concentration. "I guess she didn't really say anything more than that. She just assured us that the people she would be sending were trained specifically to handle what was happening here and that you were the best." He flashed a grin at her. "Imagine; little Seras Victoria the BEST at something, eh?"

All the while, Seras' face had fallen, the blood leaving her skin and causing her to appear as pale as a china doll. So it was as she thought; Sir Integra, likely assuming that the town and the police within said town were already on edge, had decided not to mention what they were. Alex had no idea that the disgusting filth who had done such horrendous things to the children of their city…were creatures similar to what Alucard was…to what she was. For several long moments she remained frozen in place. Indecision tore at her mind as she stood there. Should she come clean now? Before they got any further into this investigation? Before things got a hell of a lot worse than they were now? Or should she wait? Sir Integra, though difficult to understand in certain circumstances, rarely did things without thought. If she had not told Alex that they, too, were creatures of the night…should she really go against whatever thought process had been behind that?

'_Say nothing, Police Girl. You may speak to Sir Integra later, to determine her reasoning if you so choose. But do not undermine her in this. And do _not _disobey me.' _This last statement was filled with an icy anger that quite literally bound her to his word. If she were to tell Alex the truth, it would not be on this day. A short curt nod and a tight smile were the response to Alex's words.

"I may not have much confidence in many things, but in this Sir Integra is correct; we ARE the best." Alex laughed, a hearty sound in the dim confines of the bathroom.

"Let's hope so…" And with that, he removed the tape.

_A/N: I would like, again, to thank my reviewers. Without you all, the story grows stale and I lose the initiative to write. That being said, I hope you enjoyed this one; constructive criticism is always welcome, so please read and review. Thank you._


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